First of all I must admit I like all things Italian. Consequently, I laughed a lot, was moved, and obviously felt identified with the protagonist, director, factotum Moretti. But overall I felt this film was a political disappointment. If he were truly a political man, he could NEVER turn into musicals! Period.
Such a cleansed, ideologically perverse genre is incompatible with a) political conscience b) brains.
OK, we don't always want to "save the world" or discuss hefty topics (like French cinema), but I find musicals a distasteful, tacky aesthetic option. That is why I felt so disappointed with Nanni.
I feel he has the potential to be a great director, a "beacon" of intelligent but not haughty film-making. Like Woody Allen, for instance. (I saw Caro Diario twice on cinemas, in spite of his long "tempos" at "Islands"). Instead, he makes the jokes too long, overacts, is outright stupid when coming up with nonsense while "doing the documentary".
By the way, I'd LOVE a life in which "shooting a documentary" were "duty". I wonder what "pleasure" would have to be :)! The inclusion of his baby and family may serve his a purpose, but I found it irrelevant at best.
Overall, I would like him to be the powerful director who could shoot this scene with the ship full of Albanians and piano music, touching without pounding a "message".
I'm afraid he would rather take the "playful/ escapist" way. It is very common in people dedicated to "the arts" (even the most brilliant, like Woody). But very frustrating to "us, social scientists".
Whichever our "rank"!
Conclusion: "If I could", I would say to him THE SAME HE SAYS TO HIS political CANDIDATES when facing Berlusconi on TV: "React! Say something!"
A musical will never tell any moving human story, nor be beautiful.
Allen makes a GREAT missile/ pun on them in "Match Point" (when the silly wife loves them, and the couple goes just after he misbehave a bit . He deems them SO irrelevant you only hear it for a second :). THAT is intelligent cinema!
