Il Capital Umano

Human Capital is a film told from differing plots that begin to come together as the story continues. What seems to begin as an innocent and light-hearted film, with surface-level characters, quickly spirals into a a whirl of chaos. I enjoyed how the movie continued to keep viewers guessing for a while, slowly giving clues of how each character connects to one another. Much of these clues could be missed the first time watching because they are difficult to catch. As the plot thickens, it is apparent that someone will be getting in major legal trouble at the end of the film, however it is difficult to assume who it will be. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns, as well as the final part of the movie which connects the title of the film to the entire story, defining human capital. This film was inspired by a novel of the same title, which I also found very interesting. 

Human Capital

To me, the best aspect of Human Capital was that the story was told from multiple perspectives and with a nonlinear timeline, similar to (but not quite as well done as) Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. It made the overall storytelling more interesting and the director, Paolo Virzì, was able to reveal aspects of the plot when he wanted to. For example, Luca, Serena's new boyfriend, is not revealed to be a major character and the catalyst for the main plot until the latter half of the movie. If the story was told in a more traditional way, the character of Luca would almost certainly need to be revealed in the beginning of the story in order for the plot to make sense. Overall, I enjoyed the film because of the its nontraditional use of perspective and narrative.

Human Capital

Human Capital is an engaging movie but belabors its point of emphasizing how all the characters of the story are shareholders of the human capital; it even defines it at the end in case we don't understand. I did enjoy the structure of the storytelling, however found myself swept up in the intricacies of each character's life--I don't think that was the intention. The best part of the film was Carla's performance; she beautifully depicts the inner struggles of one who suppresses their dreams and easiness as well as the complicity of privileged life.

Terraferma

I thought this film did a good job depicting an underlying modern problem facing Italy that hasn't been depicted in any of the films we have watched so far: immigration. Italy faces immigration problems from Africa because of its close proximity and acts as a channel into the rest of Europe. For this reason I thought the film was a good representative of Italian cinema showing underlying political issues in the country. I also thought the film did a good job of using the theme of contrasts of human nature. For example, willingness to help others vs. a fear of persecution from helping said people.

Terraferma

I think one of the best aspects of Terraferma is the creative portrayal of poverty and the way it is juxtaposed to prosperity. At one point in the film, we see a group of tourists jump off of a boat and into the clear water for their first time while they enjoy themselves during a beautiful scene. Later on, we see the locals of the Island jump off the boat into the very same water not out of joy and love for doing so,  but rather out of the necessity to fish the old-fashioned way in order to make a living. It struck me as ironic the way these same actions implied very different things depending on who exactly was the one doing them. I think it says something about Italian culture and the way their social dynamic is framed as the locals of the Island jumping off the boat meant something totally different from the tourists doing the same thing.

Terraferma

The juxtaposition between the beginning scene and final scene of Terraferma is a striking visual. The first scene is an underwater view of a fishing boat. It almost feels as though the audience is underwater watching the boat go over them and eventually feeling caught in the boat's net. Even the audio in this scene immolates the feeling of being underwater. Then in the final scene, the audience watches the boat from a bird's eye view. One analysis of these contrasting scenes could be the scenes represent Filippo's transformation through the film. At first he feels somewhat trapped in his small town and struggles to form his own opinions on immigration due to society's beliefs. By the end of the movie he flees his small town to save the mother and son. He now is leaving his town and has his own personal beliefs about immigration. He goes from feeling trapped like someone underwater to free like a bird.

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso is a perfect example of nostalgic postmodernism. This is represented through the use of a postmodern film incorporating films of the past in order to create a sense of nostalgia amongst the audience that is viewing the film. In this film, this theme is created through Salvator's character involving film as a constant part of his life, and more importantly at the end of the film when he views the scenes of old films that the priest forced Alfredo to cut due to their "provocative nature". Alfredo is a clear father figure to Salvator, and is willing to sacrifice his own feelings in order to encourage the person he cares about to be as successful as possible. This allows Salvator to become a motivated adult, who is able to move out of his town, and become a very successful filmmaker. Alfredo is able to be proud of Salvator, but is aware that is he told Salvator to return to his town, the success he made for himself would not have been possible. I enjoyed this film a lot and I liked how it found a way to create a very interesting storyline, while also including a homage to past films, allowing the audience to appreciate how film has developed over the years, and show what an important role film plays in our history, for it represents the history that has developed over the past 100 years. 

Cinema Paradiso

While watching this film, I couldn't help but notice in the beginning when the priest was watching the films and making Alfredo cut the film during scenes that were deemed too sexual. I think this really set the tone for the time period Salvatore grew up in and the reminiscence of his childhood. By following the life of Salvatore, it captured the things and experiences that pushed him to become who he was at the time. This film showed the growth of Salvatore himself and a bond that Salvatore hadn't experienced as a young child, which was a sort of father figure. Overall, I believe the film was moving and had a powerful message behind it.

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso has done something rarely seen in cinema, which is to make nostalgia feel like a main character. Everything from the story to the lighting and the score makes the viewer not only long for a time when going to movies was a grand social event, but also instills in the viewer a deep love of cinema, or deepen it if that love was there previously. Though the story spans the much of the life of the main character, Salvatore or Toto as he's called, it isn't too biographic to the point of being disconnected. This culminates in a moving and powerful final scene that needs the context of the entire movie just witnessed to understand. Otherwise, it's just a man watching a montage. But through the use of nostalgia and epic storytelling, Giuseppe Tornatore makes something that should be simple, and should also remove the audience from the story, deeply emotional. That scene and the film as a whole are quite the achievements.

Io non ho paura

Io non ho paura was an evocative and jarring film. What intrigued me the most, was Filippo's character. Sequestered to a hole, the darkness leads him to believe he's dead. His eyes have been severely scarred from what seems like failed attempts to look into the light. He isn't perceived as an innocent child until Michele discovers he was kidnapped. Filippo regains his childlike spirit when Michele reveals that they are the same age. Filippo holds very established beliefs about life and the after life. He believes Michele is his guardian angel who has come to rescue him. It is implied that Filippo believes he is in hell. What astounds me is his willingness to accept that he is dead even when told otherwise. What does not surprise me is his inability to comprehend what has happened to him.

My Brother Is an Only Child

The violent relationship between the two brothers really shook me. Obviously the title of the film leads the viewer to the assumption that the relationship they have with one another is filled with tension, but I was still caught off guard by their reality. As an only child, I have no idea what it's like to be at odds with a sibling, especially not in a political way. Still, as I watched the film I was able to understand the strain placed on their relationship, because it is something I witness so often in America today. I have seen many friends get into arguments over their different political views and it has put pressure onto their relationships, while they still have love/respect for each other. The film was not totally heart-wrenching because the director sewed in some comedic sequences.

La Dolce Vita (resubmission)

With themes of religious cynicism, unorthodox sexuality, globalization, and materialism, La Dolce Vita can be interpreted as a large scale satire film meant to expose a society of people who have become disillusioned and corrupt in the postwar period. While the Italian people came to lose their faith in Christianity in the postwar period, they searched elsewhere for meaning. La Dolce Vita, while an exaggeration of this search, shows how Italians turned to other things such as sex and materialism, as replacements for Christianity in 1960s Italy. Marcello’s hedonism and futile pursuit of purpose manifests itself in his sexual conquests. The provocative final scenes of the film take place at the orgy -- complete with a striptease performed by the hostess. Marcello -- wearing a white suit like some sort of priest, he preaches his critiques and ideas to the people around him, urging the guests into exhibitionism, simply for his own sake. He is unable to maintain an objective viewpoint while recording the lives of the rich and famous and gets swept up by the luxurious quality of the nightlife in Rome.

I'm Not Scared

I found the use of lighting and scenery in I'm Not Scared to be one of the most striking parts of the cinematography. Many of the scenes depicted the children playing in the open fields. These scenes are very light and airy. On the other hand, the scenes when Michele is with Filippo, including the last scene, are very dark and mysterious. Scenes of light innocent childhood are contrasted to scenes of dark violence. The dramatic changes in lighting and scenery help to emphasize the contrast between the two lives Michele and Filippo are living. I also noticed most scenes when adults are present, whether it be in the house or in the last scene, the lighting appears to be darker than when the scene is only characterized by children. I believe this is to emphasize the innocence and purity of the children, while their parents are corrupted by violence and darkness.

Im not scared

The first thing that struck me about Im not scared was the beauty of the film. As Michele races bikes and explores the exquisite countryside, however, there is a darker side that is presented in this ominous thriller. In fact, it gets to be so overwhelming that Michele's mother makes him promise to "get away" from what is actually an objectively serene lifestyle and surrounding environment. As well, Michel's menacing father figure acts as another representation of the contradictions between what we as an audience are presented with and what is actually happening in Michele's life. The beautifully depicted landscape and Michele's realizations within it make it a coming of age film because as Michele continues to process his situation, he learns to trust his own instincts instead of following blindly the authority of his parents or remain stuck in the blissful unawareness of childhood. I think the beautiful landscape is meant to represent Michel's childhood innocence, and the grimly depicted authoritative figures showcase his ability to surpass the idea of following blindly which is an important part of growing up.