My Brother Is an Only Child

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, France, 2007, 100 min
Section: Open Eyes

Synopsis

The story begins with two brothers in 1962. Accio, an impulsive youngster who to the heartache of his parents listens only to his instinct, leaves seminary to follow the fascist ideals that a friend has infected him with. The more mature, charismatic, and well-liked Manrico on the other hand is an active leftist partisan. They both love the same girl however, and passionately defend their political persuasions. One of the most distinct Italian directors of the middle generation follows a pair of protagonists, their families, and friends through a period of fifteen years against the backdrop of the socio-political plight in Italy in the latter half of the 20th century. A captivating adaptation of Antonio Pannacchi’s novel Il fasciocomunista, the film was one of the most interesting of the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The lead roles are played by Italian film stars Elio Germano and Riccardo Scamarcio.

About the director

Daniele Luchetti (b. 1960, Rome) studied art history and later film direction at a school run by the Gaumont company, where he became one of the creators of the anthology film Juke Box (1983). In the comedy The Mass Is Ended (La messa è finita) he worked as an assistant director to Nanni Moretti, who later produced Luchetti’s directorial debut Domani accadrà (It’s Happening Tomorrow, 1988) which met with success at the festival in Cannes (Golden Camera - Special Mention). Luchetti also gained recognition with his The Yes Man (Il portaborse), which was selected for the main competition at Cannes in 1991 and awarded two Donatello’s David national prizes. He won the same prize again for best film with La scuola (1995), in which he cast his favourite actor, Silvio Orlando.