Il capitale umano (2013)

The destinies of two families are irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit off the road by a jeep in the night before Christmas Eve.

Director:

Paolo Virzì

Writers:

Stephen Amidon (novel), Paolo Virzì (screenplay)

Stars:

Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Matilde Gioli, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

46 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	Dino Ossola
Matilde Gioli	...	Serena Ossola
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi	...	Carla Bernaschi
Guglielmo Pinelli	...	Massimiliano Bernaschi
Fabrizio Gifuni	...	Giovanni Bernaschi
Gigio Alberti	...	Giampi
Valeria Golino	...	Roberta
Silvia Cohen	...	Adriana Crosetti
Luigi Lo Cascio	...	Donato, il professor Russomanno
Bebo Storti	...	L'ispettore
Giovanni Anzaldo	...	Luca Ambrosini
Paolo Pierobon	...	Lo zio Davide
Gianluca Di Lauro	...	Fabrizio, il cameriere in bici
Stefano Fiorentino	...	Amico e socio di Bernaschi
Fulvio Milani	...	Altro amico di Bernaschi

Storyline

Dino Ossola, a small-time real estate agent who dreams of bigger things ; Serena Ossola, his teenage daughter who dates a spoilt rich brat ; Carla Bruneschi, an actress who has given up her career to marry a wealthy businessman ; Massimiliano Giovanni Bernaschi, her husband, a powerful player ; Massimiliano Bernaschi, the troubled son of the Bernaschis' ; Roberta Ossola, a psychologist, Dino's second wife ; Donato Russomano, a brilliant drama teacher who is stuck on Carla ; Luca Ambrosini, a teenager frowned upon by others ; an anonymous cyclist... They are all shareholders of the human capital. Errr... all? Really?

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Plot Keywords:

italy | male frontal nudity | male nudity | traffic accident | cyclist | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

9 January 2014 (Italy)

Also Known As:

El capital humano

Filming Locations:

Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

€6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$62,093, 6 February 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$157,336, 12 April 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Indiana Production Company, Motorino Amaranto, Manny Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Italy to the best foreign language film category of the 87th Academy Awards 2015.

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Connections

Features Nostra signora dei turchi (1968)

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Soundtracks

Rehab
Written by Amy Winehouse
Performed by Amy Winehouse

User Reviews

Italian male nastiness at its most usual

Dino Ossola is an unpleasant guy. Being myself Italian - and even from the same area of the story - I know well that very specific type of Italian nastiness. Dino is arrogant, greedy, superficial, mean and stupid. A little man who cares only about himself. He has a daughter from a previous marriage (Serena) and a new partner, Roberta, pregnant with twins. Roberta is a psychiatrist and you can be sure, she is very bad at her job. She seems completely oblivious to the nastiness of her man, to the troubles of her step-daughter and to everything else, including their financial situation.

Carla is another female character, also living in a world of her own: a blonde ex-actress, trophy wife of Giovanni, a rich, unscrupulous businessman. Their obnoxious offspring is spoiled and rude Massimiliano. He is Serena's boyfriend (for a short while). That is how the two families are connected and how the story develops. Serena and Massi, after a short summer fling decide to keep their break-up secret (pretty flimsy plot device, but still...). The night before Christmas, the two families meet for a social dinner that turns into a disaster.

Serena leaves to meet her new, secret flame, Luca, a guy from a poor background and a disreputable past, but later into the night, she is called to drive home a very drunk Massi, while the rest of their families is lost in adventures of their own. A crime ensues, and while you might wish the guilty party is the most obvious person, there are a few surprises in store.

Most praise goes to Bentivoglio for playing Dino Ossola so convincingly. The other male roles are equally good, from cold businessman Giovanni, to spoiled brat Massi. Lo Cascio has a small part, as a frustrated intellectual with some venom of his own to spit.

The female characters are dissatisfactory: two out of three are of the maternal, ineffective, removed-from-reality type. The third, young Serena, is lost in a hormonal tempest of her own and juts as inept as the older women. One can see a difficult life ahead of her, but we must pretend to see the future through rose-tinted glass, because young love is so cute... except it is not. A big loose end is left hanging: did Serena learn of her father's part in the denouement of the plot? How are thing going in her family?

Interesting movie, with a suitable sombre wintery setting, to enhance the desolation of these lost souls.