I have heard this film described as a “modern fable”, and indeed it would not take much effort to imagine it as a loosely adapted drama from ancient Rome or Greece, set in the modern-day. An initial act of violence provides a backdrop against which the rest of the story is centred, and themes such as greed and love run throughout with the characters acting and reacting according to one or the other. In this film we see how the members of two upper-middle class families are shaped by greed on the brink of a serious recession. There are elements of stereotypical fairy tale traits in many of the characters: a greedy, lustful and lying father, a spoilt coming-of-age heir, an unfulfilled actress in an unhappy marriage, and a love-struck daughter who falls for a less than desirable suitor. Indeed, at times the implausibility of their actions seem to belong more to a fantasy than to an earthly drama.
The film plays out in a chapter-by-chapter basis; the context of the opening scene is revealed to us slowly,
Review of Il capitale umano: Italy’s submission for the 87th Academy Awards
Recommended Listens
This edition, we have asked each Section Editor to name their favourite Italian song and compiled them in this playlist. To commemorate his passing, the playlist both starts and ends with a song by Pino Daniele, a very influential and talented Italian musician. Enjoy!
CULTURA E SOCIETA
All tracks can be found on Spotify. Click here to listen to the playlist, and follow us for more italian music!
Illustration: Elisenda - Flickr
gianmarco savarese: quando by pino daniele
grace lee: sabato sera by bruno filippini
sahar zivan: torno subito by max pezzali
pippa cole: bella by jovanotti
amelia mcwhirter: sere nere by tiziano ferro
laura burke: dove sei by neffa
julia webster: l'appuntamento by ornella vanoni
sam linney: un colpo all'anima by ligabue
ellie harrison: l'essenziale by marco mengoni
vanessa allen duque: volare by gipsy kings
Eleonora Rimini - Caro Amico ti scrivo by Lucio dalla
giulia ciaramita: la notte by arisa
Giorgia campesan: celeste nostalgia by riccardo cocciante
emma gasparini: sally by vasco rossi
gianmarco savarese: napul e' by pino daniele