27/10/2023 - Margherita Buy steps behind the cameras to create an enjoyable, ironic and comforting comedy about the fear of flying, but sadly the second half doesn’t live up to the first

The statue of Leonardo da Vinci (the one on show in Fiumicino airport, dedicated to the great inventor) is a sign of certain death in Volare [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Margherita Buy’s debut behind the cameras, presented in the 18th Rome Film Fest’s Grand Public section. At least that’s how it’s seen by the protagonist of this film, AnnaBì (Buy’s alter ego, played by the director herself), each and every time she approaches Rome’s main airport: this established actress would rather give up a wonderful career opportunity - making a film with a major South Korean director whom everyone wants to work with, even though his films can sometimes feel “a little heavy-going” - than board a plane and suffer 12 hours of pure terror.

But Buy injects a generous dose of light-heartedness into her directorial debut, a comedy about the fear of flying, whose lead actress (who’s worked with Moretti, Bellocchio and Ozpetek, among many others) was able to give free rein to her comic talent and clearly really enjoyed herself directing the movie, surrounded by an extensive cast composed of her friends. Written by the director alongside Doriana Leondeff (a regular collaborator of Soldini and Mazzacurati) and Antonio Leotti (Radio Arrow, Johnny the Partisan, Dogworld [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), the film initially homes in on AnnaBì’s problem, before widening its scope to an array of supporting characters who have the same frustrating, human phobia of being suspended high up in the air.

AnnaBì’s agent, Mariolina (Anna Bonaiuto), is tired of losing jobs abroad (and money) on account of an actress who descends into panic every time she sees an aeroplane. The latter agrees to take a job on the umpteenth season of a popular TV series, to keep her agent happy, but when she learns that the role in the Korean film has gone to her arch rival (Elena Sofia Ricci, playing herself), something snaps inside of AnnaBì. The decision then made by her daughter Serena (Caterina De Angelis, Buy’s real-life daughter) to go and study in the USA is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. How can she allow the young woman travel all on her own and not help her take such an important step?

So AnnaBì signs up to a course devised by Italy’s flagship airline for people with a fear of flying (yes, these courses really do exist), a kind of group therapy where she meets a host of other scaredy-cats just like her – played by Giulia Michelini, Pietro Ragusa, Euridice Axen and various others – who place themselves in the hands of Captain Eugenio (Francesco Colella) and psychologist Ilaria (Vanessa Compagnucci) in order to overcome their phobia and fulfil their dreams on the other side of the world. But when push comes to shove, once the course is over, will our heroes manage to keep their seatbelts fastened?

The first part of the film is delectable and cutting in its depiction of the film world and its inner workings (a little in the spirit of the Call My Agent! series), but the second part turns its focus to the individual dramas within this group of neurotics and opts for an easier, more comforting form of humour, as well as feeling like a shameless advert for ITA Airways, who collaborated on the film. Margherita Buy, who professes to be “stunned that such talented and professional actors took me seriously”, has reassured us that she’ll be repeating her adventure behind the cameras. Her next film might focus on a few other idiosyncrasies, ironically. Let’s hope she takes a few more risks.

Volare is produced by Kavac Film (belonging to Marco Bellocchio), Maremosso, IBC Movie and Tenderstories together with RAI Cinema, and will be released in Italian cinemas in February 2024, courtesy of Fandango.

(Translated from Italian)