A CASA NOSTRA

http://www.acasanostra-lefilm.com/
plot : "Hide your guns ; wifey's home."
thought : "Rich mobsters have weird problems."

Of course it's hot--it's Italy, baby. And though I haven't seen any other films by Francesca COMANCINI, the réalisatrice behind this rich mobster-heavy number, I have a feeling I'd like them. A CASA NOSTRA (which in the context of the film, I believe means "in our country"--oh, how uneducated I'll look if I'm wrong) unfolds like a banana. You think you've got the droopy fruit all before you, and then you realise the tough skin isn't the whole story--there's a soft, sweet story inside : a lot of unhappy people, some with and most without money, are trying to hold onto the lives they've come to loathe and yet desperately lead.

Honestly, I thought mobster's problems all involved some guy named "Acey" and a pair of brass knuckles. Maybe a cigar or two. And let's face it--when Laura CHIATTI's heating up the screen, you can't help but start looking around for your smoking jacket and referring to your clutched handbag as "the money sack." But once Valeria GOLINO, the tough cop (and top banana) of our film looks into the camera with her almost permanently teary eyes whilst Verdi arias sear your ears with sadness...you almost feel happy that your life's so damn normal.

Overall rating : 3.5 out of 5