My Brother Is an Only Child (2007)
"Mio fratello è figlio unico" (original title)

Two brothers come of age in a small Italian town in the '60s and '70s.

Director:

Daniele Luchetti

Writers:

Antonio Pennacchi (novel), Daniele Luchetti (story),

Stars:

Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Angela Finocchiaro

9 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elio Germano	...	Accio Benassi
Riccardo Scamarcio	...	Manrico Benassi
Angela Finocchiaro	...	Amelia Benassi
Massimo Popolizio	...	Ettore Benassi
Ascanio Celestini	...	Padre Cavalli
Diane Fleri	...	Francesca
Alba Rohrwacher	...	Violetta Benassi
Vittorio Emanuele Propizio	...	Accio adolescent
Claudio Botosso	...	Prof. Montagna
Antonino Bruschetta	...	Segretario Bombacci (as Ninni Bruschetta)
Anna Bonaiuto	...	Bella Nastri
Luca Zingaretti	...	Mario Nastri
Pasquale Sammarco	...	Padre Tosi
Lorenzo Pagani	...	Bertini
Matteo Sacchi	...	Ragazzo Biliardino

Storyline

Two brothers come of age in the 1960s in a town south of Rome. Manrico is handsome, sometimes feckless, a leftist making the revolution. His younger brother Accio ("Bully") is a seminarian when the story beings, soon home studying Latin and joining the Fascists. Francesca, an aristocratic student, becomes Manrico's lover and Accio's friend. Over the next ten years, these three experience family, love, attraction, politics, and the challenges of adult responsibility. Subplots include Nastri, a father figure and political guide to Accio, Nastri's wife Bella who guides Accio in other ways, and the brothers' parents and sister, who are dazzled by Manrico's charm while depending on Accio.

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Plot Keywords:

revolution | seminarian | love | 1960s | fascist | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Celluloid Dreams (German) Official site [es]

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

20 April 2007 (Italy)

Also Known As:

My Brother Is an Only Child

Filming Locations:

Latina, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

€5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,357 (USA) (28 March 2008)

Gross:

$251,004 (USA) (18 July 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cattleya, Babe Film, Film Commission Torino-Piemonte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The conversations with some fascists of the suburbs around Rome has inspired Daniele Luchetti for the lines of Luca Zingaretti's character.

User Reviews

A witty and charming family drama

The political backdrop of this 60s character drama is both nostalgic and frightening - that disaffected and rebellious Accio finds himself so easily taken in by a Fascist mentor strikes parallels with the our own young men turning to extremism or street violence in a search of identity. Accio clashes dramatically with his older brother, the hip, good-looking communist, but the story not so much about political ideals as their expression of familial jealousies and personal moral development.

The tensions and affections of this struggling working class family, portrayed by all with genuine emotion. The dialogue is witty and charming and not unlike other memorable Italian films (Il Postino, Cinema Paradiso) the characters come across almost too resoundingly. This gives the film a well-crafted theatrical quality, that is engaging, well-paced and very satisfying.