Forget about those masterpieces of Italian Neo-realism. Forget about the great comedies. Nowadays Italian cinema is a matter of family.
Sometimes cinema is a kind of mirror of our society, sometimes it could educate the society itself. So in contemporary Italian movies and screenplays directors seem to be worried about the Italian family and its crisis.
The most appreciated directors have made movies in which “Family” is always the main topic. The relationship between mother and son (La prima cosa bella – Paolo Virzì), parents vs children (Genitori e figli agitare bene prima dell’uso – Gianni veronesi) the son’s coming out and the family’s reaction (Mine vaganti – Ferzan Ozpetek) and the various aspects of couples in crisis (a bunch of directors including Gabriele Muccino).
It could sound as if the end of the traditional family (mother, father, children)might be the greatest fear in Italy. I can appreciate that in our political and economic situation the idea of ‘family nest’ could be something to console our troubles but first we should reflect on the causes of this condition. A society that is looking for a mother’s womb instead of trying to cope with its phantoms is a sick society.
I ‘ve watched other interesting movies in recent times such as the Japanese film, “Departures” by Yojiro Takita, in which the sense of death and its idea is shown with a high lyrical attitude coming from the director’s sensibility as well as the Japanese culture. “Soul Kitchen” by Fatih Akin, in which the main character is trying to find her place in the world with the help of some friends and learning the art of cooking.
So I ask myself, is the crash of the family a real problem or is it just a step towards civilization? I would answer: ‘The family is dead, long live the individual’!
