Aprile

I anticipated this movie for so long, because of that awesome dancing chef. Then I watch it and he's introduced at the start, then is not seen for the rest of the movie until the very end. And only for one measly minute. And even then, it was worth it. Anyone who wants to see an absolute legend, hire this movie out, fast-forward the first hour and a half, then sit back and enjoy the dancing chef.

They should make a whole movie on him, like they fictionally do at the end of APRILE.

Two words- Dancing Chef!

Italian director Nanni Moretti returns with another film with his distinct style and humor. Semi-fiction, semi-documentary, "Aprile" describe the thoughts of the director on politics, movies, his newly-born son. Although he uses the same materials as in his previous excellent film (Caro Diario), the result is not as fresh. The scenes about the Italian elections are quite weak, especially for a non-Italian. At least, it's good to see Nanni in such a good mood as a dad.

Most filmmakers don't use themselves and their families in such a shamelessly autobiographical fashion as Nanni Moretti. You could call him brave or, if a detractor, perhaps just lazy. I mean, it must be easy to regurgitate your life on screen in a quasi-documentary fashion except that Moretti is one of the smartest and funniest filmmakers ever to have come out of Italy and the shamelessly autobiographical "Aprile" is a small gem, (it's only 75 minutes long).

Moretti himself plays a film director called Nanni, planning to shoot a musical but finds he can't while his wife, played by real-life wife Silvia Nono, is pregnant, so instead he chooses to make a documentary on the Italian elections. "Aprile" itself isn't a documentary but a very charming if hugely self-indulgent comedy on the director's life. It is, in its way, another "Dear Diary" with its tongue lodged firmly in its cheek. How you respond to it, of course, will depend on how you respond to Moretti. I love him and am happy to take almost anything he sends my way. He may be indulgent but he's certainly a lot funnier and more likeable than Roberto Benigni, (he's closer to being an Italian Woody Allen). When I wasn't laughing out loud, which was frequently, I had a permanent smile on my face. See this.

Bore, bore, bore... We've seen it all elsewhere. Nothing was funny, nothing was new. The only 5 minutes worth watching were those showing an overcrowded rusty ship, heavy with Albanian immigrants arriving to Venice. I wish this subject had been developed further, but it wasn't. Instead we have a silly film director who does not know what he wants until he has a son and appreciates the joy of life. How true, but how banal, who cares, we all know it...

Whether mine or the movie's I'm not sure. In any case, when I saw this movie in Buenos Aires on its theatrical release, I was kind of disappointed. I'd seen _Caro Diario_ just a little earlier and thought that _Aprile_ lacked the freshness of the earlier movie. Plus, I found the stuff about Berlusconi and the elections kind of boring.

But after having seen most of Moretti's other movies, I took another look at _Aprile_ and realized that it's a wise and moving--if occasionally annoying--piece of work, after all. Certainly no less an achievement than _Caro Diario_ or _The Son's Room_. And if, like me, you've seen other Moretti movies, you realize that things that might seem incoherent on first viewing, such as musicals about dancing pastry chefs, are in fact long-time obsessions.

In his movies, Moretti's character is always surrounded by people: fellow leftists, old friends, family, parishioners, patients, and so on. But despite all these social ties, there's also a basic solitude that Moretti explores in his movies. I think that's why I like them.

Oh, and one more thing: he always makes Italy look gorgeous.