Small productions and young directors make often a great pair to discover underrated cinema gems; like this! An unexpected good surprise that wrestles with the poor box-office gathered.
Walter (Carlo delle Piane) is a retired man who feels useless for his condition, but when he reads on a newspaper that statistically there's 1 worker for each pensioner he starts a weird chase to find "the one" who works for his pension.
After a long trip in the city, Walter chooses a thirty years old man, bachelor, extremely shy, with a boring life, named Piero (Pierfrancesco Favino). Helped by a little girl, the old man will spur the shy guy on to change his life.
Favino and Delle Piane couple is the power, the engine of the movie. Both great actors, perfectly embody new and old (actoral) school, two of the best in their generations. Anna Falchi has a marginal role, a "fil rouge" linking the audience and the story. Her confessions at the video-diary comment what happens her around (she's a neighbor of Walter), but adds some opinions too about women, love or off-topic life experiences.
Interesting the double role of the character "Piero", acted by Favino for the shy parts and by Valerio Mastandrea for the exuberant ones. Loneliness is a ghost of recent society that people (like here) have to fight day by day. Smart was the triple level on which the story develops, three confronting generations: the child, the boy & the girl, and the old man. Their approaches, with three (four) different knowledges for a common project was really a perfect idea onto invent a movie.
Extremely pleasant the soundtrack too, merely instrumental (strings and piano), nothing was disregarded at all by directors and the end was, yes, predictable, but satisfied me enough for its reassuring message.
A non-politically correct ending would have been just a useless false note, ain't I'm right ?
