"Solino" is a 2002, 2-hour movie by German-Turkish director Faith Akin and it's the unusual scenario that he did not write the script for his own film here. This film also shows how long he and Bleibtreu go back. Bleibtreu plays the co-lead next to Barnaby Metschurat in this one and I must say I certainly found Bleibtreu's character more interesting, even if he is the less likable of the two. The biggest problem I had with Metschurat was that he never seemed really Italian to me, in contrast to Bleibtreu's character who certainly gives of a Dolce Vita vibe in here. And judging from the 2 performances here, I can see why Metschurat, even if he is a likable guy, did not manage Bleibtreu's career in the last decade.
The movie chronicles several decades of an Italian family, who movies to Germany and opens a pizza restaurant. The focus is mostly on the two sons, initially still when they were children, but for the most part when they were adults. We watch their love stories, their relationships with their parents and their professional careers. It is not a terrible film by any means, but I must say I found it fairly uninteresting and it also dragged on some occasions. No doubt Akin is a really good filmmaker when it comes to multi-cultural works, but somehow this one here did not work out for me. Luckily, he made another film with Bleibtreu, playing the main character's brother again, about life and work at a restaurant ("Soul Kitchen") and I definitely preferred this Greek take on the story. One thing that stayed unclear with "Solino" for me was the Nazi reference, no idea why they included that one if the film is supposed to play in the 1960s and 1980s. All in all, one of Akin's weaker works, but it is fine as he was not even 30 when he made this one and definitely improved afterward. Apart from that, it also had to do with Matschurat simply being not right for the role. Not recommended.
The movie chronicles several decades of an Italian family, who movies to Germany and opens a pizza restaurant. The focus is mostly on the two sons, initially still when they were children, but for the most part when they were adults. We watch their love stories, their relationships with their parents and their professional careers. It is not a terrible film by any means, but I must say I found it fairly uninteresting and it also dragged on some occasions. No doubt Akin is a really good filmmaker when it comes to multi-cultural works, but somehow this one here did not work out for me. Luckily, he made another film with Bleibtreu, playing the main character's brother again, about life and work at a restaurant ("Soul Kitchen") and I definitely preferred this Greek take on the story. One thing that stayed unclear with "Solino" for me was the Nazi reference, no idea why they included that one if the film is supposed to play in the 1960s and 1980s. All in all, one of Akin's weaker works, but it is fine as he was not even 30 when he made this one and definitely improved afterward. Apart from that, it also had to do with Matschurat simply being not right for the role. Not recommended.