Long Live Freedom (2013)

When a politician disappears, his (mad) twin brother is brought to replace him.

Director:

Roberto Andò

Writers:

Roberto Andò (novel), Roberto Andò (screenplay)

Stars:

Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

9 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Toni Servillo	...	Enrico Oliveri / Giovanni Ernani
Valerio Mastandrea	...	Andrea Bottini
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi	...	Danielle
Michela Cescon	...	Anna
Gianrico Tedeschi	...	Furlan
Eric Nguyen	...	Mung
Andrea Renzi	...	De Bellis
Judith Davis	...	Mara
Brice Fournier	...	Bertrand
Paolo Bessegato
Giulia Andò	...	Hostess
Alessandro Averone
Vincenzo Pirrotta
Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Antonio Gerardi

Storyline

When a politician disappears, his (mad) twin brother is brought to replace him.

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Plot Keywords:

politician | twin brothers | mental instability | bare bottom | bare ass | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Arrabal amargo
(tango)
Written by Carlos Garde and Alfredo Le Pera
Performed by Leopoldo Federico
(p) & © 2000 by EMI Odeon SAIC

User Reviews

Well-meaning but suffering from the same ambiguity it reproaches in its main character

The theme of twins exchanging roles is certainly not a new one (Shakespeare anyone?) and in this movie it is used in the contest of the disastrous Italian political and social situation.

Enrico, the leader of the left wing, is dour and introverted. Popular ratings are down and the party blames him for their failure. Under too much pressure, Enrico decides to seek shelter in Paris, crashing into the life of ex lover Danielle, presently married and mother of one.

Enrico's assistant finds out by chance about the existence of an estranged twin brother, the mad philosopher Giovanni, and convinces him to replace Enrico.

Giovanni is outspoken, extroverted and full of philosophical quotes that mean everything and their opposite. Thanks to his way of dealing with the media he gathers huge support.

If anything, this tale should make one despair about the imperfections of democracy (voters choosing a party only because the leader is more "simpatico") and the power of extroversion - even if it is somehow implied that with Giovanni it's not just the way to convey the message, but also the content that changes...

Servillo plays both twins - as one would expect - and although he manages to make "them" almost believable as two different people, I still did not like his performance. I liked even less Bruni Tedeschi as ex-lover Danielle: her character is a ditzy, flaky blonde enjoying a decadent (and cliche') French marriage - the type foreigners imagine as quite common in France, with an abundance of lovers and questionable casual affairs.

The other characters have less screen space, but I liked them more, because I found them better interpreted and believable.

The ending is predictably "open": this could mean that nobody knew how to end the lightweight script - or even worse and ironically - nobody wanted to commit to any definite message, despite the fact that ambiguity is the main reproach against Giovanni (and more generally, against the Italian left wing).

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian French German

Release Date:

14 February 2013 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Leve friheten!

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,272, 9 November 2014

Gross USA:

$48,541

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,768,967

Company Credits

Production Co:

BiBi Film, Rai Cinema, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1