Notte italiana

This film has several strong points. The photography of the Po Valley landscape is stunning, and creates a strong atmosphere.

Although the Avvocato Morsiano is just out to do his not very spectacular job (namely estimating the land), it feels like he enters some kind of dreamland (if not nightmare land). The often dysfunctional communication and also the behaviour of some people is quite funny at times and adds to this impression.

The acting is good. The themes of corruption and illegal agricultural practices are relevant and probably portrayed in a fairly realistic way. The plot focuses on Morsiano finding out some things that he shouldn't know, and the attempt of the locals to deal with him.

That said, as promising as proceedings start, and as much as there are many little surprises in the details, the plot itself is rather straight and predictable. Giulia Boschi is very beautiful and her acting is fine, but her role and the love story that carries much of the second half of the film have little credibility in my view, and add unwelcome cliche to a film that at the end doesn't quite fulfill the promise of the mysterious and strange beginning.