Reviewed by Beth Squires
Stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Francesco Casisa, Filippo Pucillo, Federica De Cola, Filippo Luna,
Isabella Ragonese, Vincent Schiavelli, Massimo Laguardia,
Andrea Prodan, Ernesto Mahieux, Robert Allyn
Certification UK PG | UK RRP £17.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 113 minutes
Written & directed by Emanuele Crialese
Emanuele Crialese directs an enchanting story that follows a southern Italian peasant family and their quest to leave their homeland for the New World at the turn of the 20th century. America is the place Salvatore Mancuso has been dreaming about; where money grows on trees (at least in doctored photographs) and rivers that are full of milk flow freely through the hills. Vincenzo Amato gives a charming, endearing performance as Salvatore, a hopeful farmer wanting to take his two sons and elderly mother to a better life.
Before boarding the ship with all their possessions that haven't been sold for passage, Salvatore comes across a mysterious elfin redhead played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Although we know Lucy is an Englishwoman, it's never quite clear what her history is and how she ended up boarding with Italians. She seems almost otherworldly and indeed, as the 'making of…' feature discusses, she seems like an image of the New World there to guide this family across the water. I liked the mysteriousness and determined nature of this character, which is helped by Gainsbourg injecting a little melancholy; bringing Lucy away from seeming like just another dream of Salvatore's. As the family venture further from their home, everything becomes more hectic and confusing, as they struggle with the huge changes that they'll need to make to accommodate their new lives. The casting off scene, as the ship sets sail, is one of the many visual highlights from Crialese and cinematographer Agnes Godard. A mishmash of heads fills the screen, and slowly they part diagonally, showing that half are on the boat, and half are watching them leave. It's a moving moment. The crossing shows one of the most powerful portrayals of the conditions the third class immigrants live in. In one sequence bodies forcefully slam onto others under deck as the ship battles through harsh conditions; limbs fly all over the place and it's difficult to determine where one dully clothed body ends and the next begins. Those that survive the crossing are initially disappointed by an America enveloped in mist on arrival. From there they are pushed towards Ellis Island to be selected and tested both physically and mentally on aptitude and emotional capability in moments that hamper the possibility of Salvatore's mute son and stubborn mother passing through.
I really enjoyed this movie. It is visually beautiful, with surreal pieces interrupting the family's journey every so often in sequences that flowed with the magical anticipation that the Mancusos have of America. The performances are brilliant, with each character as believably rounded and curiosity-inducing as the next. Some of the pacing takes a little getting used to, as Crialese occasionally slows down scenes almost to breaking point. But as the film goes on these get less frequent and more fitting. It's a mesmerising story of a group of people who don't know what they are in for risking everything for their dreams and, rather fittingly, the film ends ambivalently, but I was certainly satisfied.
EXTRAS *** A making-of that mixes up press-conference tidbits, behind the scenes clips and on set interviews to get a nicely rounded view of the research, characters and vision Crialese was going for when he set out to make the movie. There's also a trailer.