What the Hell Am I Doing Here!

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, 2006, 92 min
Section: Focus on New Italian Directors

Synopsis

At the end of his final year at school, Alessio has managed to botch things up big time. His parents come down on him like a ton of bricks, and his planned train trip around Europe with his friends now looks decidedly uncertain. But Alessio doesn’t give up, deciding to catch them up on his scooter. A brief stop on the coast leads to a series of minor catastrophes and Alessio has to work off his transgressions working for Tonino, who owns the local beach. His thoughts are only of escaping, but no sooner does he manage to give him the slip, than he finds Tonino barring his way at his very next fuel stop. And yet, he discovers that, not only Tonino, but his entire crazy family are growing on him and so he tries to help prevent the local authorities from closing down their beach. As he gradually begins to settle into his new surroundings, he goes through all kinds of adventures which ultimately offer him important lessons in life. Alessio learns about sensitivity, patience and the ability to recognise true feelings and values. By the end of the holidays he is more mature than he would have been if he’d travelled halfway around the world. And all this the director presents with light-hearted humour, with the fragrances of the summer, the sea and the long holiday.

About the director

Francesco Amato (b. 1978, Turin) began studying art, music and drama at the university of Bologna in 1998. Since 2000 he has made six independent documentaries, focusing on social issues. This is the case with the film Is This My Country? (Questa è la mia terra?, 2003), which describes the lives of foreigners working in Italy and which was critically acclaimed on the domestic film circuit. Amato’s feature film debut What the Hell Am I Doing Here!, despite its indignant title, is an enchanting and cheery holiday yarn about young people for young people.