Films So Good

I had the luck to see Donato Rotunno’s “Io sto bene” in a online screening. I was curious as to what I would see since there were nearly no records on the net for this film. Sadly, a Luxembourgian production is not very attractive, even if “Io sto Bene” is the official submission of the country in Oscars Awards. Sadly because, this film was a truly surprise for me.

Plot

Antonio has spent his whole life in Luxebourg away from Italy, his home country. He crosses paths with Leo, a young Italian artist who is trying to make it abroad. The old man and the young woman’s destinies mirror each other. Memories from the past are awoken and the story splits in two different time periods; the time that he arrived to Luxembourg around 70’s and the present one. In the first part of the story, we see Antonio’s first years in Luxembourg, how he started his business and of course how he met his wife Mady. In the present level, Antonio’s wife has recently passed away, and we see how the old man will help Leo to stand up on her feet.

Renato Carpentieri (old Antonio) gives a great performance and the other actors; Alessio Lapice (young Antonio), Sara Serraiocco (Leo) and Marie Jung (Mady) are great as well.

The flashback part is exceptional and it really gets you to the 1970’s Europe that has been forgotten. Donato Rotunno perfectly connects the two time levels and the old one explains the behaviour of Antonio in the present. Throughout the movie, the nostalgia for the return to home surrounds the atmosphere. This return for some reasons never actually happened and Antonio tries to help Leo not to feel the same failure.

Maybe it will be the only article that you would read for this film, but if you run into it, you should definitely check it. It’s one of the movies that maybe it’s not a masterpiexe, but it will surely remind you why you love cinema.

Movie Rating 74/100

---