Così ridevano

aka: The Way We Laughed
Italy 1998, 122 minutes
Dir. Gianni Amelio
In Italian with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama

Topics: Period 1950s.

Feat. Enrico Lo Verso, Francesco Giuffrida

Aroview: A superbly novelistic epic set amid the rigours of post-WW2 Italy where two poor Sicilian brothers settle in northern Turin in search of future prosperity.

As growth ironically turns to corruption, the film teases at the mysterious distance between the brothers and the vagaries of inter-Italian prejudice. The unusual plot structure divides into depicting a single day for each year between 1858 and 1964, and dir. Amelio only gradually revealing the events and consequences of the intervening period, both personally and politically. All up, a lovingly filmed and affectingly tragic portrait. Winner of the 1998 'Golden Lion' at the Venice Film Festival.