Although Mio Fratello é Figlio Unico tells the story of two brothers, pitted against each other because of political beliefs, reactions to the film, surprisingly, described it as “not too weighty in general,” and “excellent, a lot of humor.” In fact, one audience member went so far as to say that “generally, the subjects are too heavy at Cannes. It was good to see something funny.” How can a film that bases its entire story around revolution, fascist attacks, familial strain, and general political and social confusion inspire these reactions? Daniele Luchetti.
A well-known and respected writer and director since the 1980’s, Luchetti not only breaks up what could have easily been a heavy-handed subject with light jokes, sweet romances, and small, funny scenes, but he also pens clever, subtextual dialogue that does not force the somewhat difficult themes down the viewer’s throat. The film follows two brothers through their political journeys in the 60s and 70s in Italy; one brother choosing the Fascist party, the other the Communist side. As the film progresses, the obvious difficulties that arise not only from the actions and philosophies of the individual extremist parties, but also from the brothers’ dissimilarity in their characters and in their beliefs, lead not only to problems between the brothers, but also within their world. Luchetti’s expert writing, mixed with direction which, unlike so many directors today, does not rely on shocking spectacle to portray even the most important and extreme death scenes that inevitably unfold from the subject matter, come together to create a film full of wit, character, intelligence, and thought-provoking philosophy on the depth of beliefs and of blood. It is because of Luchetti that every audience member interviewed was able to come to the same conclusion: Mio Fratello é Figlio Unico is “a beautiful subject. A beautiful film.”