Storia di vacanze

In an atmosphere shrouded in the gray banality of the Roman outskirts, "Favolacce" by the D'Innocenzo Brothers offers a raw and uncompromising look into the lives of some families grappling with their own frustrations and contradictions. It's not a masterpiece, but rather a film that manages to capture some peculiarities of the human condition with a certain degree of effectiveness. The portrayal of family dynamics, laden with tensions made palpable by tight dialogues and direction unafraid to explore the darkest corners of the human psyche, is one of the film's most intriguing elements. Despite their evident dysfunctionality, the characters manage to evoke a certain empathy in the viewer, thanks also to the strong performances of the cast. However, "Favolacce" is not without its flaws. The narrative, while incisive and direct, risks at times to be too raw and lacking in nuances, leaving little room for the complexity of the characters and their relationships. Some scenes, moreover, might come off as overly verbose or repetitive, diluting the emotional impact of the situations depicted. Nevertheless, the film still manages to keep the viewer engaged until the end, thanks also to its ability to provoke reflections and debates on universal themes such as love, family, and the very meaning of human existence. While not a perfect work, "Favolacce" stands out for its audacity and frankness in depicting the brutality of everyday life, without seeking easy consolations or pre-packaged solutions."Favolacce" proves to be a good film, with its peculiarities and its flaws. Despite not reaching peaks of excellence, it still manages to offer an interesting and provocative look into human nature, inviting the viewer to reflect on their own choices and relationships. A must-see for those in search of an intense and stimulating cinematic experience.

This Italian Swiss TV coproduction with Sky TV won a screenplay award at the Berlin Film Festival. We saw it in a group of cinephiles. In the discussion afterwards we could not find one reason how this could have been possible. Maybe every other film in the contest was written worse, but that is hard to imagine. Maybe the jury wanted to play a practical joke. Even the narrator in the film apologizes for the senslessness and boredom of these random and badly written script. Any of the scenes could have been replaced with any other. It makes no difference. It was sad to witness how the art of film has deteriorated both in the making and in a venue of appreciation that once held some prestige. Nice cinematography though, one star for that and one for casting.

This movie stages action in a domestic and familiar environment, where violence never explodes, because violence is not a disturbance of that social order, but a pillar: it's behind every gesture, every word, every thought, it's something sinister always lurking inside the grownups (in a minor but important scene, during a birthday party the adults say horrible words towards a mother - but in whispers, like if they were haunted).

Parents shows and expose their kids as trophies, not caring for them but for themselves: in another scene a young father is pleased by the driving skills of his own son and proudly screams "You are like me!" - something that the kid is obviously not willing to be. Generations basically ignore each other's feeling: and ignorance is the trigger of silence, silence is the trigger of despair, and despair the trigger of violence.

Thanks to silence, conflict is invisible, and for this reason it becomes eventually inescapable: and the surprising epilogue is the only moment when peace is restored in the families, as the parents for the first time looks like they are actually caring for their children. We hear from the narrator at the beginning that everything in this story is at the same time true and false: and eventually we understand that this mix creates a scaring thing, called reality. This movie is good cinema and great advice, you should see it.

My personal favorite of the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and winner of the Berlinale Bear for best script. The film introduces itself as: A true story inspired by a false story. The false story is not very inspired. Sounds mysterious? It better be, for this is a film enjoyed more the less you know. Okay, I'll give you this much: a dark look at life in the subjrbs outside Rome, where people's aspiration clash with reality. The story of a summer broken down into a sequence of immersive scenes, each containing its own drama and driven by an atmosphere of suspense. All is mostly viewed through the eyes of the kids. Highly recommended! On a side note: this is the second film of the D'Innocenzo Brothers that I've seen, and it is astonishing to observe how much they've matured as film makers and story tellers. Their first film - La Terra de'l abbastanza - had all the pieces but lacked a forceful plot to tie them together. Favolacce deliverd this force, in a unique way.

It's a good movie. Plot is well worked but they didn't really make the best of it. Dialogues are solid. All together it's a good movie but not as good as it could've been.