Film: Cosmonaut
Release date: 8th November 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 85 mins
Director: Susanna Nicchiarelli
Starring: Claudia Pandolfi, Sergio Rubini, Angelo Orlando, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Miriana Raschillà
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Studio: VITA
Format: DVD
Country: Italy
Susanna Nichiarelli accentuates her growing reputation for eye-opening direction as she delves into the communist-dominated world of the ‘50s and ‘60s, through the coming of age story of central character Luciana, played by Marianna Raschillà, who delivers a suitably hormonal performance, fuelled by her larger-than-life experiences as a teenager.
Having lost her father long before she developed any awareness of the world around her, much of Luciana’s ideology has been shaped by her older brother, Arturo, whose mind has been partially distorted by the drugs he takes to control his epilepsy. Arturo’s universe revolves around the Soviet Union’s exploration of space, and this universe becomes Luciana’s over the course of her childhood.
As her hormones begin to take their hold, Luciana takes a fancy to Vittorio, the leader of the Italian Federation of Young Communists (FIGC), and the dreams she has shared with her brother fully become her own. She endeavours to impress Vittorio by displaying her ambitions of becoming the first woman into space, although whether or not these ambitions are merely a means of impressing a boy is not initially clear.
With her father’s legacy a prominent feature throughout, she struggles for someone to turn to in her times of need, and in her father’s absence, Luciana’s personal life begins to unravel…
The ideals of communism are what unite the film’s central characters, and footage of early Soviet missions help set the scene throughout Cosmonaut. Early on, we witness a number of FIGC meetings, which assist in demonstrating the importance of the communist values not just to Arturo, but also to Vittorio and many of the other members, as they strain to be heard over one another. What is rarely apparent, particularly in the opening stages, is how invested Luciana is. With one lustful look after another at Vittorio, we see little evidence of anything other than the seeds of first love, along with some thinly veiled attempts at displaying this love.
One area in which Nichiarelli excels is in developing empathy with her protagonist. As it is relatively difficult to develop understanding in the outdated values of communism, instead she concentrates much of her attention on Luciana’s woes as a teenager. In giving the audience scenarios they can identify with; fighting over a boy, pining for someone, and watching that person fall into the arms of someone else, Nichiarelli subtly introduces emotional crutches throughout.
It must also be said that the cast does imperious justice to the story. Marianna Raschillà does the simple things well, and contrasts fleeting moments of happiness with Vittorio and her, at times, tempestuous home life to such degree that the characters surrounding her cannot help but follow suit. Never is this more compelling than in the scenes with Sergio Rubini, who portrays the wealthy stepfather to perfection, constantly striving to accomplish the semblance of familial aura that Luciana never quite allows him to.
Despite a slightly short running time, Cosmonaut endeavours to resolve every strand of narrative, and achieves this successfully, drifting away from its communist overtures just in time to conclude the fate of each character. The audience comes away sensing that not only Luciana, but also her friends and family, have come through a personal test in one form or another. These character arcs are ultimately the fulcrum of Nichiarelli’s story.
Another aspect Nichiarelli deserves credit for is developing the mise-en-scène without becoming overbearing. By electing to simply scatter footage of various space missions throughout, Nichiarelli does not see the need to take this any further; we just know the film is set in ‘50s and 1960s Rome. This allows the characters to stay at the focal point of the film, where they can make the utmost impact. Even the soundtrack is moving but never distracting, as Nichiarelli utilises the crisp sound of revamped songs from the era, the emotive twangs of which sit in the background and subtly accentuate the events of the film.
With the help of a tremendous cast, Susanna Nichiarelli conjures a simplistic yet intriguing story which documents teenage melodrama on the subtle background of the Soviet technological advances of the period. By peeling away any potential complications, Nichiarelli allows the audience to concentrate its attention on the complex human emotions portrayed throughout. MC
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