Film: My Brother Is An Only Child
Release date: 11th August 2008
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Daniele Luchetti
Starring: Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Angela Finocchiaro, Massimo Popolizio, Ascanio Celestini
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama
Studio: Revolver
Format: DVD
Country: Italy/France
In this Italian drama directed by Daniele Luchetti, we are introduced to the Benassi family, who chaotically co-exist in Latina; a small town located forty miles west of Rome. Accio, the youngest, is bursting with the famous Italian fiery spirit, clashing with his family and dividing them along political lines. Set in the 1960s, My Brother Is an Only Child sets out to examine one of life’s strongest bonds, that between two brothers, and follows their progress as violent clashes between the local fascist and communist parties, and the temptation of a beautiful woman threatens to tear them apart.
Accio, played by Ellio Germano, is pulled away from a life in the priesthood by his elder brother Manrico, who is played by Riccardo Scarmarcio. Returning home to find his room given to his sister Violetta, and his parents unwilling for him to follow his natural ability in studying the classics, Accio begins to rebel, claiming unfair treatment, starting arguments wherever possible, and sparring with Manrico, often coming to physical blows.
Accio finds escape from his tumultuous family home by helping a local market trader called Nastri. Nastri tells of better days under Il Duce, or Mussolini, explaining that after the Second World War, millions of Italians deserted the fascist cause, betraying the ideals of an Italy where the rich looked after the poor. This appeals to Accio’s enquisitive mind, and he signs up with the local Fascist party, to the dismay of his working class family, especially Manrico, who is an active member of the Communist Party.
Society is bubbling in Latina and across Italy. Worker protests, rallies and fighting break out between the two rival parties. It is in this context that Accio comes of age, and when he meets the beautiful Francesca, played by Diane Fleri, he immediately professes his passion for Fascism in the hope of impressing her. However, it comes to light that Francesca is already dating Manrico, and is a member of the Communist Party. Accio seems destined to be relegated to being a shoulder to cry on for Francesca, while Manrico the older, successful, better looking brother gets the girl. Though Manrico is unreliable, and as politically turbulent as his younger sibling, and he quickly spirals into suspicious dealings, increasing the element of danger to our central characters…
Peppered with political sloganry, passionate outbursts and fiery displays of emotion, My Brother Is An Only Child begins with much potential to be a fantastic drama. The tension between the family crackles in tandem with the socio-political issues of the town, drawing the viewer into life in a highly politically charged society. Despite the occasionally shaky camera work, the subtle aging of Accio near the beginning of the piece, along with the well directed crowd scenes at the rallies impress. Scamarcio and Germano are realistic as brothers, and the frustration of Accio at being the youngest and pipped to the post with Francesca is an empathetic performance.
There are often highly comedic moments, such as the love tangle between Accio and an older woman, and the efforts of Accio to be seen as a man by Francesca despite her persistent dedication to Manrico.
The energy, however, begins to fizzle out. Despite its billing as a tale of the relationship of two brothers, Manrico suddenly disappears from view, and the romance card is played to the detriment of the gripping drama this could have been. Yes, we are watching Accio mature, and this is of some interest, however, the climatic ending of the film loses its full effect as one of its main character’s has been without plot for some time.
As a result, this changes from an interesting on-screen discussion of the divisive effects of pro-active political belief, to a slightly directionless everyday segment of a teenager’s life, with the plot only just scraping some drama in before the finale. Historically, politics has had counter-intuitive effects when theory becomes practice, communism and fascism both examples of how the ideal can attract followers only for corruption and the destruction of human rights to follow. With such potential for drama unexplored, the film feels a little shaky. Is it a political drama? Or is it a story of sibling rivalry?
It certainly isn’t consistent, however, it does cover, if swiftly, some important points which are still relevant today. For example, the ease of people in power to use a political ideal to remove liberties, and the power of propaganda when offering a sense of belonging to those who feel isolated and lost.
As a whole, My Brother Is An Only Child attempts to tackle many subjects at once and doesn’t quite pull it off. With both moments of excellence and disappointment, it is on the way to perfection, with the plot more at fault that the direction itself. Luchetti’s greatest success is conveying the Italian tendency to be emotive and passionate in their ideals, sometimes prone to anger, but romantics at heart. AT
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