Dear friend,

I’m not really inspired to write an introduction, so let’s go straight to the films.

Anche se è amore non si vede, directed by Valentino Picone and Salvatore Ficarra, co-written with Francesco Bruni and Fabrizio Testini, Italy, 2011 - ⭐⭐⭐

I usually like Ficarra and Picone: they are two Sicilian comedians, very well known on Italian TV, with a gentle, family-friendly style, and a tinge of social commentary.
This is the first of their films I’ve watched (if we exclude the Netflix mini-series Sicily Express, which Letterboxd considers a feature film), and it was in line with my expectations: the two play their usual characters - Picone’s Valentino is the straight man to the ‘cunning’ agent of disruption that is Ficarra’s Salvo (yes, their roles usually keep their real first names), the plot is thin (Valentino’s wife feels suffocated by his constant cares and attention), there are farcical elements and exaggerated acting.
But it was the perfect film for that Sunday evening.

Ecce Bombo, written and directed by Nanni Moretti, Italy, 1978 - ⭐⭐⭐½

Following last week’s Sogni d’oro, I was a bit nervous I would find an even more insufferable Michele Apicella in Moretti’s previous film.
Luckily, that’s not the case, and Apicella’s semi-antisocial behaviour feels funny and almost endearing (‘Why are you crying, honey? Is it because I’m a great artist?’).
The film has very little plot, and mostly follows Michele and his friends in their intellectual ennui, feeling lost in a world that has changed and no longer supports their political fights, having ‘consciousness sessions’ in their living rooms, and directing their anger towards their families (I felt really sorry for Michele’s parents).
Nevertheless, the film is entertaining and leads to a quietly powerful ending.

All through my deep dive into Moretti’s early filmography, I was impressed by two things: first, the presence of several faces and names who are well known today for being on the opposite side of the political spectrum. What happened in their life to make them change their views so radically?
Second, the fact that in every film (at least until Bianca) there are expressions and dialogue that have become commonplace in Italian lingo. Here there are two: when a girl is asked what is her main occupation, she replies with (a longer sentence that has become) the vague ‘I see people, I do things’. And the mockingly-self-important ‘Do I draw more attention to myself if I don’t come to the party, or if I come and I sit on my own?’ (roughly), which is also, in my opinion, the key to that ending.

Sibyl, directed by Justine Triet, co-written with Arthur Harari, France, 2019 - ⭐⭐½

Before Anatomy of Fall, Justine Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari created this story about a psychotherapist (Virginie Efira) who is eager to stop seeing her patients to return to being a full-time writer, but the latest person that needs her help, the young actress Margot (Adèle Exarchopoulos), upsets her life in an unexpected manner and forces her to confront a past trauma.
On a surface level, this film’s plot is a messy story that leads its protagonist into a series of events that give her more and more importance and power over the other characters, in a way that challenges one’s strongest willingness to suspend disbelief.
But then, there are hints at the possibility that all of this is the self-aggrandising fantasy of a wannabe writer. Still, if this is the right interpretation, it is not fully resolved by the film’s insistence on showing the events as subjective.
Sandra Hüller has a small role as the very nervous director of a film that’s set in Stromboli (by chance, marking the second consecutive week the island appears in these posts, following last week’s Caro diario).

Marty Supreme, directed by Josh Safdie, co-written with Ronald Bronstein, US, 2025 - ⭐⭐⭐

My immediate thoughts about this film would be spoilers, so I’ll just say that this feels like Uncut Gems again, except for the ping-pong matches, that were tense only because I feared the direction the script would take.
I guess technically it’s impeccable, but claustrophobic and dark shots, although justified, put me at unease.
Is this a real Academy Awards Best Picture contender? I don’t think it should be, but I don’t like arrogant characters, and I was so disappointed by the ending.
Should Timothée Chalamet win for Best Actor? I’ve enjoyed his work much more in other films, and I don’t think he does anything compelling here that we haven’t seen before from him. But they gave Leo an Oscar for living in the mud for a while, they might as well reward Chalamet for playing good table tennis.

Io sono un autarchico / I Am Self-Sufficient, written and directed by Nanni Moretti, Italy, 1976 - ⭐⭐⭐

Finally finishing my retro-retrospective of Nanni Moretti’s early films, his first feature-length work is quite experimental, although it has possibly a little more story than Ecce Bombo: we follow a group of friends preparing a stage play, led by Fabio (Fabio Traversa) through a series of activities - including a team-building trip that has ’tragic’ surreal consequences.
The film, therefore, has two leads: Moretti, already in the role of Michele Apicella, dealing with the breakup of his marriage and the education of a son, often leaves the spotlight to Traversa. It will take thirty years for him to give so much space to another actor again.
Still, Moretti’s distinctive presence is already there, vocal and determined.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, directed by Dwight H. Little, written by Alan B. McElroy, Dhani Lipsius, Larry Rattner and Benjamin Ruffner, US, 1988 - ⭐⭐½

So here we are, back with a horror film, courtesy of Plex. I was pretty sure I had watched this film already just last summer, but I didn’t log it on Letterboxd, and we know that if it’s not logged it didn’t happen.
I remember being confused before about how Laurie Strode apparently died, and… when did she have a daughter? Halloween II happened ten years before, so she couldn’t have died in that film, unless Jamie (the child, played by Danielle Harris) is already 10 years old… but definitely she wasn’t there in the first films… ok, clearly this is just a workaround to replace Jamie (Lee Curtis) and give Michael Myers some vague motive to reunite with his long lost family.
Anyway, the actual new Final Girl, Rachel (Ellie Cornell), was up to the task, persistent and protective, while Dr. Loomis made me wonder about the trajectory of Donald Pleasence’s career before this role.
All in all, a rather basic slasher, slightly elevated by that ending, even if it doesn’t make too much sense… let’s say it takes the series to a whole new direction.