My Brother is an Only Child
Encyclopedia
My Brother Is an Only Child is a 2007 Italian drama film directed by Daniele Luchetti
. It is based on an Antonio Pennacchi
's novel. The title comes from a song by Rino Gaetano
from 1976.
Accio (Elio Germano
) and Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio
) are working class brothers who live in Italy in the 1960s. While his brother becomes drawn into left-wing politics, Accio, the hotheaded younger brother, is taken under the wing of a market trader and while under his influence, joins the Fascist party. Accio ("Bully") is a nickname he is proud of because it makes him seem tough. Manrico and their sister Violetta are alarmed to hear their brother listening to Benito Mussolini
's speeches in his room. Manrico often physically torments his brother, including stuffing his head in the barrel under the drain pipe of their house.
Accio once runs away from home because his mother voted for the Houses Party. Their house is falling apart and she thinks the Houses Party will help them rebuild it.
As Accio and Manrico get older they start demonstrating as members of the Fascist party and the Communist movement respectively. (There are scenes of a factory occupation, and the occupation of the Rome conservatoire, where the sister is studying the cello.) The film is relatively even handed in its treatment of politics. If the young fascists seem absurd with their chanting of 'Duce! Duce!', and their actions constantly tending to violence, the communists are hardly less so: Schiller's words in the final movement of Beethoven's choral symphony are replaced by a hymn in praise of Mao Zedong
, Vladimir Lenin
and Joseph Stalin
; a meeting of activists consists of a room full of bearded men all shouting at once and only agreeing when the time comes to shout a slogan.
Francesca, Manrico's girlfriend, becomes Accio's friend. Accio secretly likes her and thinks that she should not stay with Manrico because "he can't be depended on". The viewer is in little doubt that Accio is also attracted to Francesca himself. At the same time, he has himself become sexually involved with the wife of his fascist friend, the market trader, who has been imprisoned for his violent political activities. She buys him a car through an installment plan.
Eventually Accio ends up leaving the Fascist party and tearing up his membership card when party members burn his brother's car. He also breaks up with his older lover, telling her that he cares for someone else, but not replying when asked if he is loved in return.
But while Accio largely pulls out of political activism, his brother is drawn deeper into revolutionary violence. After disappearing for two years, he calls home. Accio travels to meet him and telephones Francesca, who twice quickly hangs up on him. When they meet in a cafe, Manrico sees Francesca arriving unexpectedly, but also the police who have perhaps been tailing her or tapping her telephone. He flees but dies in an exchange of (handgun) fire with the pursuing police.
Accio then breaks into the corrupt and inefficient housing office to seize the waiting keys and the records of the homeless. He distributes keys and a party of homeless families take possession in the middle of the same night. The film ends with Accio living with his family, including his brother's small son.
reported that 86% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 59 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 71 out of 100, based on 19 reviews.
Awards—Best Actor (Elio Germano), Best Supporting Actress (Angela Finocchiaro), Best Screenplay, Best Editing.
Daniele Luchetti
Daniele Luchetti is an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor.He was born in Rome. He debuted as assistant director for Nanni Moretti in Bianca and La messa è finita...
. It is based on an Antonio Pennacchi
Antonio Pennacchi
Antonio Pennacchi is an Italian writer.Born in Latina, he won the 2010 Strega Prize for his novel, Canale Mussolini.-Works:*Mammut, Roma, Donzelli, 1994. ISBN 88-7989-086-7....
's novel. The title comes from a song by Rino Gaetano
Rino Gaetano
Salvatore Antonio "Rino" Gaetano , was an Italian singer-songwriter.-Biography:Rino Gaetano was born in Crotone, in the southern Italian region of Calabria...
from 1976.
Plot
This summary covers approximately the first half of the film.Accio (Elio Germano
Elio Germano
Elio Germano is an Italian actor.Born in Rome, he debuted, aged twelve, in the Castellano e Pipolo's movie Ci hai rotto papà...
) and Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio
Riccardo Scamarcio
Riccardo Scamarcio is an Italian film actor.-Biography:Scamarcio was born in Trani, Apulia.He went to train as an actor at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema in Rome, where he now lives. His debut acting role was in a TV series in 2000, while his first ever lead role in a feature film was in Tre...
) are working class brothers who live in Italy in the 1960s. While his brother becomes drawn into left-wing politics, Accio, the hotheaded younger brother, is taken under the wing of a market trader and while under his influence, joins the Fascist party. Accio ("Bully") is a nickname he is proud of because it makes him seem tough. Manrico and their sister Violetta are alarmed to hear their brother listening to Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's speeches in his room. Manrico often physically torments his brother, including stuffing his head in the barrel under the drain pipe of their house.
Accio once runs away from home because his mother voted for the Houses Party. Their house is falling apart and she thinks the Houses Party will help them rebuild it.
As Accio and Manrico get older they start demonstrating as members of the Fascist party and the Communist movement respectively. (There are scenes of a factory occupation, and the occupation of the Rome conservatoire, where the sister is studying the cello.) The film is relatively even handed in its treatment of politics. If the young fascists seem absurd with their chanting of 'Duce! Duce!', and their actions constantly tending to violence, the communists are hardly less so: Schiller's words in the final movement of Beethoven's choral symphony are replaced by a hymn in praise of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
; a meeting of activists consists of a room full of bearded men all shouting at once and only agreeing when the time comes to shout a slogan.
Francesca, Manrico's girlfriend, becomes Accio's friend. Accio secretly likes her and thinks that she should not stay with Manrico because "he can't be depended on". The viewer is in little doubt that Accio is also attracted to Francesca himself. At the same time, he has himself become sexually involved with the wife of his fascist friend, the market trader, who has been imprisoned for his violent political activities. She buys him a car through an installment plan.
Eventually Accio ends up leaving the Fascist party and tearing up his membership card when party members burn his brother's car. He also breaks up with his older lover, telling her that he cares for someone else, but not replying when asked if he is loved in return.
But while Accio largely pulls out of political activism, his brother is drawn deeper into revolutionary violence. After disappearing for two years, he calls home. Accio travels to meet him and telephones Francesca, who twice quickly hangs up on him. When they meet in a cafe, Manrico sees Francesca arriving unexpectedly, but also the police who have perhaps been tailing her or tapping her telephone. He flees but dies in an exchange of (handgun) fire with the pursuing police.
Accio then breaks into the corrupt and inefficient housing office to seize the waiting keys and the records of the homeless. He distributes keys and a party of homeless families take possession in the middle of the same night. The film ends with Accio living with his family, including his brother's small son.
Cast
- Elio GermanoElio GermanoElio Germano is an Italian actor.Born in Rome, he debuted, aged twelve, in the Castellano e Pipolo's movie Ci hai rotto papà...
as Accio Benassi - Riccardo ScamarcioRiccardo ScamarcioRiccardo Scamarcio is an Italian film actor.-Biography:Scamarcio was born in Trani, Apulia.He went to train as an actor at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema in Rome, where he now lives. His debut acting role was in a TV series in 2000, while his first ever lead role in a feature film was in Tre...
as Manrico Benassi - Angela FinocchiaroAngela Finocchiaro-Filmography:* 1979 - Ratataplan, by Maurizio Nichetti* 1980 - Ho fatto splash, by Maurizio Nichetti* 1986 - Il burbero, by Franco Castellano and Giuseppe Moccia* 1988 - Domani accadrà, by Daniele Luchetti* 1989 - Luisa, Carla, Lorenza e.....
as Amelia Benassi - Massimo Popolizio as Ettore Benassi
- Ascanio Celestini as Padre Cavalli
- Diane Fleri as Francesca
- Alba RohrwacherAlba RohrwacherAlba Caterina Rohrwacher is an Italian actress.Alba Rohrwacher was born in Florence, the daughter of a German father and an Italian mother. She studied acting at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome. Her first movie role was in 2004 in L'amore ritrovato. In 2008 she was awarded the...
as Violetta Benassi - Vittorio Emanuele Propizio as Young Accio
- Claudio Botosso as Prof. Montagna
- Antonino Bruschetta as Segretario Bombacci (as Ninni Bruschetta)
- Anna BonaiutoAnna BonaiutoAnna Bonaiuto is an Italian actress. She has appeared in 48 films and television shows since 1973. She starred in L'amore molesto, which was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
as Bella Nastri - Luca ZingarettiLuca ZingarettiLuca Zingaretti is an Italian actor, known for playing Salvo Montalbano in Il commissario Montalbano mystery series based on the character and novels created by Andrea Camilleri. Zingaretti is a native of Rome...
as Mario Nastri - Pasquale Sammarco as Padre Tosi
- Lorenzo Pagani as Bertini
- Matteo Sacchi as Ragazzo Biliardino
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 86% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 59 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 71 out of 100, based on 19 reviews.
Awards
The film won four David di DonatelloDavid di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
Awards—Best Actor (Elio Germano), Best Supporting Actress (Angela Finocchiaro), Best Screenplay, Best Editing.