Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

An unceasingly kind Italian peasant and his family are blatantly exploited by a tobacco baroness.

Director:

Alice Rohrwacher

Writer:

Alice Rohrwacher

Stars:

Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher

18 wins & 52 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adriano Tardiolo	...	Lazzaro
Agnese Graziani	...	Antonia bambina
Alba Rohrwacher	...	Antonia
Luca Chikovani	...	Tancredi giovane
Tommaso Ragno	...	Tancredi adulto
Sergi López	...	Ultimo
Natalino Balasso	...	Nicola
Carlo Tarmati	...	Carletto
Pasqualina Scuncia	...	Suora
Nicoletta Braschi	...	Marchesa Alfonsina De Luna
Edoardo Montalto	...	Pippo bambino
Carlo Massimino	...	Pippo adulto
Maddalena Baiocco	...	Stefania bambina
Gala Othero Winter	...	Stefania adulta
Giulia Caccavello	...	Teresa giovane

Storyline

This is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro, a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination. Life in their isolated pastoral village Inviolata is dominated by the terrible Marchesa Alfonsina de Luna, the queen of cigarettes. A loyal bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping. This strange and improbable alliance is a revelation for Lazzaro. A friendship so precious that it will travel in time and transport Lazzaro in search of Tancredi. His first time in the big city, Lazzaro is like a fragment of the past lost in the modern world.

---

Plot Keywords:

wolf | tobacco farm | magical realism | peasant | fake kidnapping | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

With Lazzaro Felice, Alice Rohrwacher wanted to use the adventures of Lazzaro to tell the tragedy that has devastated her country, namely the passage from a material Middle Ages to a human Middle Ages: the end of rural civilization, the migration to city boundaries of thousands of people who knew nothing of modernity, their giving up of little to have even less.

---

Quotes

Marchesa Alfonsina De Luna: Human beings are like animals. Set them free and they realize they are slaves locked in their own misery. Right now, they suffer, but they don't know. I exploit them, they exploit that poor man. It's a chain reaction that can't be stopped.

---

Connections

References The Leopard (1963)

---

Soundtracks

Dreams (Will Come Alive)
Written by Bobby Boer, Dancability and D-Rock
Performed by 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor
Courtesy of Lowland Records

User Reviews

A Masterpiece!

What is wrong with us? Where is innocence and compassion? Is there any good left in this world? Lazzaro represents the incarnation of kindness itself. It is hearthbreaking to see that "Lazzaros" have very little space in this world, and that they are mostly not welcome. This movie will touch deeply the people who are still able to cry when confronted with all the atrocities, and injustices we commit to each other day by day. Most of all, it will touch whoever feels the need to improve in terms of humanity, sensibility and compassion even knowing that greater and darker forces overwhelm mankind.

I deeply recommend everyone this experience.

Details

Official Sites:

01 Distribution [Italy] Ad Vitam Distribution [France]

Country:

Italy Switzerland France Germany

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

30 November 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happy as Lazzaro

Filming Locations:

Bagnoregio, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR5,200,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,802,696

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tempesta, Rai Cinema, Amka Films Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1