La capa gira

One of the most original italian flicks in decades, LaCapaGira deals with a somewhat classic comical view of petty criminals. It's a language/face-oriented, underground screwball comedy with a slight slapstick touch and a twist: characters speak a local slang quite difficult to understand, to the point that the Italian release of the movie came with Italian subtitles! Funny, well directed and full of interesting actors, LaCapaGira is an ultra low-budget gem soaked in peculiar irony. A must see.

This is a movie about petty criminals in Bari, Italy who are looking for a mislaid drug shipment. Much of the action focuses on two underlings sent to look for the drugs along the railroad tracks. They spend most of their time sitting around, getting high and making fun of each other. Also, there is a bored, world-weary pool hall owner who waits for this shipment as people keep coming in and asking him for supplies. He runs a pool joint/bar that is also an undercover place for gambling and drug-selling, and hangs out with various friends and patrons there. Oddly enough, I would recommend this to anyone who likes Kevin Smith's indie movies, although his fans will NOT be able to find it easily at the local Blockbuster, since Blockbuster generally has a foreign film selection consisting of one copy of "La Dolce Vita", one copy of "Life is Beautiful" and (I'm guessing for the future) 8000 copies of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." This involves a similarly goofy set of individuals, swearing, and humor, with a criminal and Italian macho twist. The dialogue is less ironic or consciously clever than Kevin Smith's, but is still very funny. It is very much a guy/bloke film, but I enjoyed it. The soundtrack is also fast-paced and good--it adds to the ambience as they all zoom around Bari in cars and on Vespas. Good fun!

A very good movie, maybe over-estimate, but much fine. Actors is very good. Director is very good. Cinematography is very good. Screenplay is very good. All is very good. God is like me: he loves this movie. Alessandro Piva is a great director! Almost mature.

The story is all about some semi-professional drug-dealers in Bari, Southern Italy. However, there is no story to speak of, but it doesn't really matter because it's all in the characters: their words, their gestures and their faces. For everyone familiar with standard Italian the very strong Bari accent ("Barese") proves very hard to understand and even most Italians will need subtitles. This is therefore one of those wonderful low-budget Italian art movies - true jewels of pictographic and linguistic milieu studies - that will appeal especially to persons that have some personal acquaintance with the place and the people living there. I wouldn't be surprised, though, that others will find movies of that sort boring or even uninspired, maybe they don't even see the point. In any case, if you liked "Lacapagira" (The head is spinning), then watch the better known movie "Mio cognato" by the same director, with a stunning Sergio Rubini (who himself hails from the region of Bari).

You can cry while making laugh.

It can be dramatic and ironic.

You can denounce by making sarcasm.

You can love and hate your city, its many faces, the center and the suburbs together.

You can do everything, I said. But mixing the ingredients wisely, without ever falling into caricature or banality, is Alessandro Piva's ability.