A temp comedy according to Virzì
Italian cinema is once again dealing with the world of temp work (and call-centers). Just months after Ascanio Celestini’s Parole sante, Paolo Virzì’s latest film, the comedy Tutta la vita davanti [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (roughly, “Your Whole Life Ahead of You”), depicts the army of atypical (to Italy) workers. In our world, says the director, “the tragedy lies no longer in working too much, but working only four hours. We’ve shown this in a unique way, offering up a humorous critique”.
“Marta”, says Virzì about his main character – a recent philosophy graduate forced to work as a caller and played by Isabella Ragonese – “journeys into the world of underemployment, which is also the journey of Italy today, in the country’s ethics and aesthetics, in the anxieties of its inhabitants. And is the reason why this film is less about work than it is about life”.
Fifteen years after his debut feature Living it Up, Virzì returns to work with the lead actors of that film, Massimo Ghini and Sabrina Ferilli. “They have a purity that allows them play thorny, testy characters and render them unforgettable”, he says, speaking about their roles: the call-centre’s owner and head of callers, respectively.
They are both persecutors of the victims that the union worker played by Valerio Mastandrea tries to defend. “The film is not Manichaean, however”, explains Virzì. “Rather, to cite Hannah Arendt, on whom Marta wrote her thesis, it reflects upon the banality of evil: the main character’s gaze neither condemns nor condones”.
Told in a voice-over by Laura Morante, the film features an exceptional cast, including Valentina Carnelutti, Elio Germano and a strong performance by newcomer Micaela Ramazzotti in the role of a young single mother who does not see herself in an Italy “that is not at all kind”.
Written by the director and Francesco Bruni, Tutta la vita davanti was produced by Virzì’s company, Motorino Amaranto, with Medusa Film, who is distributing it on March on 350 screens.
(Translated from Italian)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
