Bitter vision, disillusioned, with rare truly convincing moments that still elicit a melancholic laugh about a blocked country, forgetful and lacking any foresight, prisoner of his own defects. Narrative Force anchored to Today reflected on Yesterday!

#UnAltroFerragosto it's a film from 2024 directed by #PaoloVirzi, screenplay by #PaoloVirzi, #Francesco Bruni, #CarloVirzi

With: Sabrina Ferilli, Laura Morante, Silvio Orlando, Christian De Sica, Vinicio Marchioni, Rocco Papaleo, Liliana Fiorelli, Lorenzo Balducci, Andrea Carpenzano, Gigio Alberti, Silvio Vannucci, Paola Tiziana Cruciani, Anna Ferraioli Ravel

Synopsis: Almost thirty years have passed since Sandro Molino and his family landed in Ventotene to spend their August holidays on the island and support their principles and lifestyle “of left” against the arrogance from “new barbarians” Mazzalupi, the neighbors fresh from Berlusconi's victory. The return of both clans to the island is the opportunity for a new confrontation and for the rediscovery of old and new characters: Sandro, now at the end of his life, attached to memories that long precede him while he pees everywhere and no longer knows what the sea is called; his wife Cecilia, who is still desperately seeking her husband's attention; Marisa and Luciana Mazzalupi, now widows, which focus on each other's new partner Pierluigi, self-styled entrepreneur who promised to take her to Dubai, the other on her daughter Agnese who has become the influencer Sabbry and is about to get married to Cesare, an upstart with the writing tattooed on his arm “Always remember to dare”.

Review:

28 years later Paolo Virzì decided to take the viewer back to the island of Ventotene, creating the sequel to the successful and famous #FerieDiFerragosto, making him discover how and how much the Molino and Mazzalupi families have changed.

A return that Paolo Virzì motivated during the press conference because he finally felt the need to close the circle of a story that began in 1996, when the first centre-left government led by Romano Prodi had just taken office with many expectations nourished by left-wing voters.

The hope of a change, the illusion of being able to archive the Berlusconi era that began in 1994.

#FerieDiFerragosto photographed through the belly and mind of a country, masterfully personified by the protagonists of the "rough" Mazzalupi family and with the progressive ones of the Molinos.

28 years after, everything changed. The country has veered even further to the right and there is no longer fear/shame in pronouncing the word #fascism.

But the decisive push in making the sequel, Virzì always admitted, was to honor the passing of Ennio Fantaschini and Pietro Natoli, the memorable protagonists of the first film.

Paolo Virzi wanted to tell the story with the two screenwriters, describe the involution of the people and the bitter awareness of a defeat of his generation.

These noble and heartfelt motivations though, in our humble opinion, they weren't enough to justify this sequel.

#UnAltroFerragosto appears to be a long one, repetitive and at times boring self-referential story by the director and screenwriters about the years that have passed, rather than having a universal and shareable cut.

#UnAltroFerragosto does not have the same creative verve, narrative strength and originality of #FerieDAgosto, limiting themselves to showing the original cast aged and lacking bite, folded back on itself and the new additions with the exception of the excellent performances of Anna Ferrarioli Ravel in the role of Sabbry, an apparent and dumb influencer submissive to Caesar's orders (Marchioni future husband proud nostalgic of twenty years, but who in the end will demonstrate that he has determination and personality. Equally worthy of mention is the performance of Emmaunela Fanelli in the role of Cesare's ex-wife. We admire an unprecedented, bad and contemptuous Fanelli, which gives us the best monologue and moment of the film, summarizing with a few heartfelt words the selfishness and carelessness into which our society has fallen.

#UnAltroFerragosto continuously oscillates between comedy and drama, but without having the right balance and fluidity of story, thus resulting in it being a hybrid without a clear identity.

Paolo Virzi with the ambition of keeping amarcord and anthropological criticism together, slips into a directorial and stylistic short circuit, weakening the viewer's attention and curiosity in the long run.

In conclusion #UnAltroFerragosto is a bitter vision, disillusioned, with rare truly convincing moments that still elicit a melancholic laugh about a blocked country, forgetful and lacking any foresight, prisoner of his own defects.

Ed: and this is its Narrative Strength anchored to Today reflected on Yesterday!

Vittorio De Agrò (RS)