The ostensibly simple story of a sympathetic veteran teacher giving Italian lessons to a weekly class of diverse immigrants is given infinitely more depth and complexity by the manner in which director Daniele Gaglianone renders his story. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, truth and artifice, and between documentary and drama, Gaglianone has created a film within a film. You see the apparent artifice of Gaglianone’s crew using professionals, including the noted film actor Valerio Mastandrea as the teacher, interlinked with ‘real’ immigrant protagonists, studying the language to improve their chances of employment and of gaining a permanent residence permit. Thus in the course of the lessons there is simultaneously the painful and upsetting relation of the students’ personal stories but also humour, as they interact and share their humanity, bridging cultural differences, united in their striving to make a better life for themselves. (Source: LFF programme)
You May Also Like
Ichie (Miki Nakatani) is the owner of a dressmaking shop. Her grandmother started the shop and now Ichie runs the business. Her clothes are made with an old sewing machine and are very popular. Following her grandmother’s will, Ichie only makes clothes for individuals and turns down offers to turn her clothing into a brand.
The “black sheep” son of a wealthy family meets a young psychiatric patient who’s been raised in isolation her entire life. He takes the naive young woman home for his brother’s wedding an improbable romance blooms, as she impresses everyone with her genuine, simple charms. Remake of the German film “Barfuss” (2005).
A former NCAA champion wrestler is paroled after 10 years in prison. Now, to save a friend’s life, in a series of cage fights he must agree to do the impossible – lose.
After spending the last 30 years in prison, Horacia is immediately released when someone else confessed to the crime. Still overwhelmed by her new freedom, she comes to the painful realization that her aristocratic former lover had set her up. As kidnappings targeting the wealthy begin to proliferate, Horacia sees the opportunity to plot her revenge.
Deep inside the mountain of Dovre, something gigantic awakens after being trapped for a thousand years. Destroying everything in its path, the creature is fast approaching the capital of Norway. But how do you stop something you thought only existed in Norwegian folklore?
The comedy icon sounds off on parenting with her French wife, the perils of public bathrooms and why she’s tired of going high when others go low.
Dallas comedian Ralph Barbosa talks about how he grew up with his grandparents and ran a hair salon in his bedroom when he was 13 years old.
Alexandra came to help her mother, a newspaper sales woman, in a kiosk located in a wealthy area of Paris. From the discovery of the job to the intimacy built with the customers, the film deals playfully and generously with a number of issues, not least the media’s publishing crisis. A whole world enters this little space.
Chef Lia’s plans to expand her non-profit heart-centered meal delivery service flounder due to her insistence on doing everything herself. But with the help of her new neighbor and recent adoptee father Eli she’ll discover that business, just like romance, can flourish with a little effort and trust.
Antoine and Kenny Tyler are NCAA college basketball players, and Antoine is the star. Suddenly Antoine dies of heart attack and Kenny has to fill his shoes as leader of team. Some time later, Antoine returns as a ghost and helps Kenny in game and in life, but Kenny changes in the process and doesn’t quite like it.
A deep dive into the 1980’s war on drugs that led directly to the three-strikes laws that locked up even petty offenders for lifetime sentences.