Human Capital (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

48 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 | traffic accident | financial trouble | infidelity | cheating | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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

References Boys Don't Cry (1999)

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Soundtracks

Christmas Waltz
Written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
Performed by Frank Sinatra

User Reviews

Stark Depiction of the Evils of Capitalism

I have always been struck by the sentence in F. Scott Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY (1925) used to describe Tom and Daisy Buchanan as "destructive" in the sense that they have a lot of money, but that renders then totally indifferent to human suffering, especially that of the eponymous hero.

Through the ingenious of three interlinked stories, each depicting the same incident, Paolo Virzi's film achieved a similar effect. A man is knocked off his bicycle on Christmas Eve by someone driving an SUV; the action leading up to and including that incident over the previous six months is narrated from Dino Ossola's (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) perspective, from that of his daughter Serena (Matilde Gioli) and that of their rich acquaintance's wife Carla (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi). The story is relatively straightforward, involving Carla's husband Giovanni (Fabrizio Gifuni), her son Massimiliano (Guglielmo Pinelli), and a young man wrongfully accused of drug possession who has received psychiatric counseling (Gigio Alberti).

What we learn from the narrative is how Giovanni lives an affluent existence that renders him totally insensible to the sufferings of others. He believes that money can buy anything, even justice. We see him mostly in interior sequences, in a rich-looking house surrounded by guests. Carla believes there is more to life than simply money, but apparently cannot countermand her husband's will. Money produces servility. Massimiliano has the same indifference to others as his father; so long as he has the chance to sleep in his own bed and enjoy driving his new "beast" - the SUV involved in the accident - then his existence is fulfilled.

Morally speaking. Dino's existence is not much better, as he invests €700,000 in one of Giovanni's schemes and loses virtually nine- tenths of his capital. In revenge he tries to blackmail Carla for €900,000 plus a kiss; the fact that this scene takes place in a theater underlines the theme of the film, that these people are merely performing in life, rather than trying to understand its vicissitudes.

In plot-terms, HUMAN CAPITAL can be approached as a murder-mystery, as we are led down various blind alleys until we discover who actually killed the cyclist. In thematic terms, however, the film is far more preoccupied with showing the depths to which people can sink in their attempts to avoid confronting the truth about their existences and live instead in their financial bubbles, both mental as well as tangible.

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:

EUR6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,669, 19 January 2015

Gross USA:

$158,549

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,113,941

Company Credits

Production Co:

Indiana Production, Motorino Amaranto, Manny Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1