Plot
Luciano is a charming fishmonger whose unexpected and sudden obsession with being a contestant on a reality show leads him down a rabbit hole of skewed perceptions and paranoia.
Release Year: 2012
Rating: 6.6/10 (1,056 voted)
Director:Matteo Garrone
Storyline
Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams together with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day his family urge him to try out for Big Brother. In chasing this dream his perception of reality begins to change.
Writers: ,
Taglines:
Follow Your Dreams!
Country: ,
Language: , , ,
Release Date:
Filming Locations: Naples, Campania, Italy
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
great actors at work on a very depressing topic
Rating: 7/10
One of the things I have read more frequently about this movie is that,
since it talks about the TV program "Big Brother", which in Italy has
already reached the 12th season, it's supposed to be a decade late.
Well: it's not, as the "Reality" mentioned in the title is obviously
not the one of the TV-genre, but the actual one of nowadays Italy.
As Woody Allen wrote once, "life doesn't imitates art: imitates bad
television". Following this line, the first scene is by far the more
"fantastic" of the whole movie: we see an incredibly rich marriage
ceremony, and we are not on TV or in any other fiction, but we are
supposed to be in the real world - even if the settings and the outfits
looks like a David LaChappelle picture. But later, when the guests go
back to their homes, we see how theirs everyday "Reality" is made of
poor dirty houses, impossibly crowded interiors, daily struggles and
tricks to arrange a living. All places depicted completely lack any
sign of awareness or responsible living in the world: newspapers
doesn't exist, books are never read or shown, Internet is never
searched – and receipts during commercial transactions are never
issued. In this wasteland of culture and decency, feelings still grows.
We can see that the main character still genuinely loves and care for
his wife and kids, and he could be called, in his own way, a good
family man. But disaster suddenly happens when his set of values proves
to be not enough to properly relate with the ghosts of fame and
success.
This "Bigbrother" thing, when it was introduced in Italy had some
cultural appeal, and for some months represented something worthy to
talk about. But it has quickly evolved in a tire and sad repetition of
the same situations, that seems to aim at a lower target every further
year: and after more than 10 years of lowering, now it doesn't have
audiences anymore, but victims. This movie will show you how one of
those victims undergoes his own sacrifice. So, be prepared: it can't be
anything else than a very sad story – highlighted anyhow by some great
actor performances.
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