16/07/2009

Thanks to Pupi Avati, yet another comedic actor is getting his chance at a dramatic turn. The director, who previously worked comedians Diego Abatantuono, Antonio Albanese and Ezio Greggio, chose Christian De Sica as the degenerate father in Il Figlio Più Piccolo (“The Youngest Son”), produced by DueA Film with Medusa and scheduled for February 2010 release.

Shot in and around Rome (including at Cinecittà) and Bologna in 10 weeks, the film was conceived by Avati as the conclusion to a trilogy on fathers, beginning with the absent parent of La Cena per Farli Conoscere and an overly protective one in Giovanna’s Father.

“This film is a throwback to the golden era of the commedia all’Italiana,” says Avati. “The one that depicted a problematic and ruthless society with scathing cynicism as well as humour. Il Figlio Più Piccolo, whose central theme is money, takes its inspiration from films such as Dino Risi’s A Difficult Life”.

De Sica, who plays an unscrupulous real estate agent who puts his failing business in his youngest son’s name, is flanked by Laura Morante, who plays his ex-wife. “She is a woman whose naiveté borders on idiocy and who harbours an unconditional love for her ex-husband,” says the actress of her character. Rounding out the cast are Luca Zingaretti as an enigmatic accountant and debut actor Nicola Nocella, found in the National Film School, who plays the son of the title.

Happy to be sink his teeth into a dramatic role, De Sica, the king of the Christmas comedies, worked once before with Avati, 30 years ago in Bordella. “This is an important challenge for me today, because my character is truly contemptible. He is a father who acts against his family, who is even moved when recounting his wrongdoings,” he says. “And even though I’m not tired of the Christmas films, I hope they call me soon for something different”.