Solino

Akin deals with two of his favorite themes here; the experience of the immigrant outsider, and food. Both run through his later films, but even here are approached with energy and humanity.

The story of an Italian family that moves to Germany to in the hopes of getting better work, the film spans 20 years. The first act takes place in 1964, as the family makes the move and the 2 brothers who are the children try to adjust. Jump forward 10 years to 1974 and the film moves from sweet light sentiment to something a little darker and more complex, as the brothers are now young adults, pulling away from the family, and grappling with what they want out of life and the tensions caused by their naturally different temperaments.

While not at the level of his later amazing works like "Head-On" and "The Edge of Heaven", this is an entertaining and very human movie that manages to be a portrait of a struggling family, that's neither horribly depressing, or sticky sweet and cute.

It's very frustrating, but there seems to be no officially released DVD with English subtitles.

I adored this movie. Not only because I am a big fan of Moritz Bleibtreu, although he is in practically all German movies that count. But also because he is NOT the main actor. The lead is taken over by Barnaby Metschurat, who was the only reason to watch 2001's Julietta, and who really carries this movie on his shoulders.

A family moves from Italy to Germany seeking "the German dream" (this is my own invention and ironic...) of cheap labor in steel and coal industries. However, they end up opening a restaurant and the journey the movie takes to this point alone is so poetic and at the same time funny and charming. From this point onward, the story told is mainly that of the two brothers of this family, Giancarlo (Bleibtreu) and Gigi (Metschurat). Gigi's dream to become a filmmaker is threatened by rivalry with his brother and his mother's determination to return to Italy. What follows is a great - and totally neutral - look at what life can become formed by the choices you make.

In the end, this movie doesn't say which life (Gigi's or Giancarlo's) was more successful or fuller or more interesting. It merely gives us a rewarding glimpse at what it must be like to search for identity when two countries and mentalities are involved. and this look is not driven by bitterness or disdain to either country, which makes it such a great film for any and every country dealing with the tensions resulting from immigration. The fact that director Fatih Akin's moved to Germany from Turkey in the 70s also lends this movie a large measure of its credibility and emotional accuracy. The icing on the cake are fantastic performances by the entire cast, especially Metschurat and - this I really need to stress - the little boy who plays young Gigi. That kid's performance would be a hard act to follow by just about anyone! Great movie, go see it.

After Fatih Akins first work "Im Juli", which was fairly good, he created a really gorgeous italian family epic. Its a german movie, which is unfortunately a bad precondition, cause we rareley produce more than moderate movies ;). But this movie makes some very good snapshots of the time then. "Solino" is about a Italian immigrant who arrives in the "Ruhr" region of Germany during the 60s. The immigrant and his family then start the first Pizza restaurant in the region. The characters are excellent drawn. Especially Gigi, the main actor. You live every second, every feeling he does. His brother, played by Moritz Bleibtreu, isnt that good. Well, you just dont believe him the role. But the character is wellbalanced and fits perfectly into this script. I feel an urgent need to compare the style of this movie with the style of "The Godfather". Many people will probably hate this movie, say its boring. Not much tension? - yes, but an outrageous movie. 9 out of 10.

Well, this in an outrageous flick. I saw it the other day with my girl friend, and both of us were/are very impressed by this movie. The first half, when they just arrive in Germany is very great told.

The young boys play their roles very good, especially the young gigi. He is great! My eyes were wet all the time, its so much feeling that is transmitted through the silver screen. And the music makes this flick perfect. it always supports the unique scenes. Well, i just have to say, GO FOR IT! By the way, Akin is a great director. 9/10

Such a delightful movie! Very heart warming. One can't help falling in love with the character of Gigi. He's adorable as a child and grows into a sensitive artist. The whole movie revolves around him. He lives in a wonderful world – living all life – curiosity, desire and anticipation. There is an elder brother who tries to steal his glory but really remains in the shadow all his life. The father is very stereotypically Italian and so is the mother. I wanted the father to come and reunite with the mother in the last scene – and have them cry and laugh. I also wish that there was at least something redeeming about the elder brother. His personality seems to have been trashed entirely. Passion and ardour – that's the key to life. And looking through the camera – focusing on small details and savoring the delicate details of life.