Baarìa (2009)
Certified: 12
Duration: 154 minutes
Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring: Francesco Scianna, Margareth Madè, Raoul Bova, Giorgio Faletti
KRS release
Giuseppe Tornatore’s Baarìa, which opened the Venice Film Festival this year, is an ode to his hometown – it is a beautiful picture that is ambitious and very dramatic.
Mr Tornatore who had wowed his audience with Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988), La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano (The Legend of 1900, 1998) and Malèna (2000) is treading familiar ground as he focuses on a family drama that spans a number of years.
The principal characters are couple Peppino (Francesco Scianna) and Mannina (Margareth Madè), whose children the film follows over the years. The opening scene is reminiscent of Nuova Cinema Paradiso as we follow a young Pietro (Giuseppe Garufi) running through the streets, until we are given a view of the whole town of Bagheria (the name of the town in dialect). We then meet Peppino, whose connection with Pietro we will find out later, through a lifetime marked by his love for Mannina and also a myriad of struggles.
The film follows the family’s saga amid politics, the fall of fascism, agricultural reforms, the Mafia, Communism and a student protest among other events. It is really interesting to see all this history and events through the eyes of small town life. The film has a strong sense of location and really immerses the audience into the environment. The sets built in Tunisia to the tune of a production budget of nearly €30 million really bring a sense of authenticity to the film. All this is accompanied by a beautiful, inspirational soundtrack by Ennio Morricone.
The film benefits incredibly from excellent performances. Margareth Madè, a model turned actress is quite a find. Giuseppe Garufi as Pietro is excellent; however, I believe that his character would have required further fleshing out.
However, in Mr Tornatore’s simplistic, almost fable-like approach, the film makes for comfortable viewing, bringing together realism with a sense of wonder. While some actors are given the chance to shine, it is more of an ensemble effort. This gives the film a uniform feel with the emotional sequences being the most successful. The film also includes cameo roles by the likes of Michele Placido and Monica Bellucci.
By the end of the film, the audience will have been through a whole lifetime of history and one should expect to be emotion-ally drained by the various climaxes that Mr Tornatore places throughout the picture. While the director says that this is not an autobiographical film, he is intent on giving us a true taste of what growing up in Baarìa was all about.