Solino (2002)

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Ruth Toma (writer)

Release Date:

7 November 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

In the sixties Romano Amato, his wife Rosa and their two sons Giancarlo and Gigi emigrate from Solino...

Plot Keywords:

Pizza | Leukemia | Obscene Finger Gesture | Little Brother | Railway Station

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Christian Tasche	...	Jos Vater
Barnaby Metschurat	...	Gigi
Tiziana Lodato	...	Ada
Antonella Attili	...	Rosa
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Giancarlo
Annika Schmitz	...	Jo Kind
Patrycia Ziolkowska	...	Jo
Nicola Cutrignelli	...	Gigi Kind
Michele Ranieri	...	Giancarlo Kind
Cesare Mele	...	Umberto Kind
Franco Iavarone	...	Alfredo (as Franco Javarone)
Pino Cacace	...	Carabiniere
Giuseppe Fernando Caputo	...	Rosas Vater
Rosa Di Brigida	...	Paola
Giuseppe De Rosa	...	Antonio

Runtime:

124 min | Germany:114 min (TV version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Italian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich)

Filming Locations:

Apulia, Italy

Company:

Wüste Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Originally, the screenplay was set in Oberhausen. It was changed to Duisburg because the film team found several locations in Duisburg that had hardly changed since the 1960s. It seems that Duisburg city authorities were not happy to hear that.

Movie Connections:

References La caduta degli dei (1969)

Great treatment of an important subject

I adored this movie. Not only because I am a big fan of Moritz Bleibtreu, although he is in practically all German movies that count. But also because he is NOT the main actor. The lead is taken over by Barnaby Metschurat, who was the only reason to watch 2001's Julietta, and who really carries this movie on his shoulders.

A family moves from Italy to Germany seeking "the German dream" (this is my own invention and ironic...) of cheap labor in steel and coal industries. However, they end up opening a restaurant and the journey the movie takes to this point alone is so poetic and at the same time funny and charming. From this point onward, the story told is mainly that of the two brothers of this family, Giancarlo (Bleibtreu) and Gigi (Metschurat). Gigi's dream to become a filmmaker is threatened by rivalry with his brother and his mother's determination to return to Italy. What follows is a great - and totally neutral - look at what life can become formed by the choices you make.

In the end, this movie doesn't say which life (Gigi's or Giancarlo's) was more successful or fuller or more interesting. It merely gives us a rewarding glimpse at what it must be like to search for identity when two countries and mentalities are involved. and this look is not driven by bitterness or disdain to either country, which makes it such a great film for any and every country dealing with the tensions resulting from immigration. The fact that director Fatih Akin's moved to Germany from Turkey in the 70s also lends this movie a large measure of its credibility and emotional accuracy. The icing on the cake are fantastic performances by the entire cast, especially Metschurat and - this I really need to stress - the little boy who plays young Gigi. That kid's performance would be a hard act to follow by just about anyone! Great movie, go see it.