The Bosnian pine is an ancient tree which can survive extreme conditions and which can be found in both the Pollino National Park (between Basilicata and Calabria) and the Balkans. Rocco Papaleo places it centre stage in his new film, The Greater Good, transforming it into a gigantic metaphor for life. Hitting Italian cinemas on 12 March by way of PiperFilm, this fifth feature directed by the popular Lucan actor is a bittersweet comedy which flies the flag for resilience, interweaving the fates of a group of people who are each unlucky in different ways and who set out in search of this extraordinary tree, hoping for inspiration. And as always - since Papaleo is also an accomplished musician - the film is enriched with pieces of music and monologues delivered straight to camera in a theatre-song style.

The film’s cast is undoubtedly its strong point. Vanessa Scalera, Claudia Pandolfi and Teresa Saponangelo join Papaleo on screen, alongside Andrea Fuorto (seen in Patagonia [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Simone Bozzelli
fiche film] and Tired of Killing [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Rosanna Sparapano (from Milan’s Scuola del Piccolo Teatro) and singer-songwriter Livia Ferri: a lively and entertaining ensemble who deliver a perfect balance of light and shade in their various roles. Scalera and Papaleo (who work very well together) play Raffaella and Biagio: she’s a “non-hit” actress and the passionate leader of a sensory workshop in a female prison; he’s a tourist guide with spiritual inclinations. Together, they accompany a group of prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentences to the Pollino mountains to get a close-up look at the famous Bosnian pine. The three-and-a-half-hour hike to reach the exact spot where the tree takes root turns into an opportunity to explore the problematic events which led to the four women being arrested: Samanta (Pandolfi) is a mother on the run from a violent marriage; Gudrun (Saponangelo) is a nurse who’s been struck off and is embittered by the system; Anny (Sparapano) is a hacker locked in a battle against the authorities; and Fiammetta (Ferri) is a musician who was betrayed by her partner and manager. Joining the group as an assistant is Biagio’s nephew, Luciano (Fuorto), who’s also carrying significant trauma on his shoulders whilst struggling to get his career as an athlete off the ground.

Written by the director in league with his associate Valter Lupo, the film interweaves three narrative levels: a physical and emotional journey into the natural world, flashbacks to the protagonists’ past lives, and a theatrical/fairy tale dimension in which the characters - all dressed in white - talk about themselves while looking straight down the camera. People come in and out of the story, and it takes the audience a while to follow this fragmented narrative, like a jazz improvisation with so many solos. Special mention should go to the poetic and liberatory musical moment entrusted to Livia Ferri. “No-one can save themselves alone”, Papaleo’s song informs us as the final credits roll: a worthy ending to a feel-good movie which celebrates solidarity between human beings, the therapeutic power of telling our stories, and resistance, without indulging in too much rhetoric.

The Greater Good was produced by Picomedia, Less Is More Produzioni and PiperFilm in collaboration with Netflix. World sales are entrusted to PiperPlay.