Reality | |
---|---|
Directed by | Matteo Garrone |
Written by | Maurizio Braucci Ugo Chiti Matteo Garrone Massimo Gaudioso |
Produced by | Domenico Procacci Matteo Garrone |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Marco Onorato |
Edited by | Marco Spoletini |
Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 01 Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
Countries | Italy France |
Languages | Neapolitan Italian |
Reality is a 2012 Italian drama film directed by Matteo Garrone and stars Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, and Claudia Gerini. The narrative is set in the world of reality television, and follows a Neapolitan fishmonger who participates in Grande Fratello , the Italian version of Big Brother . [1] The film won the Grand Prix award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. [2] [3] [4]
Grande Fratello (Big Brother) is a reality television program about boys who live in a fictional house with their day to day actions filmed and broadcast. Luciano, a young fishmonger married with children who lives in Naples, is attracted to this show that is famous in Italy. The program is superficial and silly but well-liked by the public, especially Luciano, the protagonist of the film. After a festive and vulgar marriage between relatives, Luciano returns to his poor life selling fish in the city. Luciano's friends, who are ignorant and dishonest, decide to persuade Luciano to audition for a part as one of the boys in Big Brother. Naively, Luciano is convinced and decides to go to Cinecittà in Rome to audition. At the audition the committee finds Luciano pleasant, though insignificant, and the assistant director dismisses him, saying he will be contacted if selected for the program. However, when Luciano returns to his neighborhood in Naples, he begins going crazy while waiting to hear from the assistant director. He believes he is being watched by hidden cameras from the television program he loves so much and is really happy about them. Luciano believes that appearing generous will win him the part on Big Brother, so he begins to give small gifts to the poor of the city, then spends large amounts of money giving away more expensive items, such as furniture, from his house. His wife and other relatives despair and believe that Luciano is out of his mind. His wife is especially worried and bursts into tears when she meets a friend of Luciano. She asks him why her husband has become so strange and, although he feels a deep sorrow for Luciano's tearful wife, he does not know how to answer. Luciano continues to get worse and is seen laughing for no reason. Finally, he makes a pilgrimage to Rome, and becomes obsessed with studying for his part in Big Brother, which is now his only reason for living.
After winning acclaim with his 2008 crime film Gomorrah , director Matteo Garrone wanted a key change for his next project, and decided to make a comedy. The screenplay for Reality is based on a true story. Garrone describes it as "a simple, working-class tale", not intended as a political treatise. However, it did develop into a darker film than originally planned, and Garrone has expressed doubt as to whether the finished version can be described as a comedy. [5]
The film was produced by Fandango and the director's company Archimede. It received co-production support from Rai Cinema and France's Le Pacte. It also received financial backing from Garance Capital. [1] The 11-week recording began on 5 May 2011. Filming took place in Naples and Rome. [6] The film had the production title Big House. [5]
Actor Aniello Arena, who plays the protagonist, is a convicted former member of the Camorra who was discovered by director Garrone at a theater play staged by the inmates of the Volterra prison. He has served life in prison for murder since 1991. Garrone sought special permission for him to appear in Gomorrah and was denied, but kept him in mind and insisted for this film. [7]
The film was selected for the main competition of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It is Garrones' third time at Cannes; his 2002 film The Embalmer was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section, and Gomorrah played in competition in 2008 and won the Grand Prix. [1]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 79 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Part dark satire, part compelling drama, Reality occasionally struggles to communicate its message, but it's never less than entertaining." [8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average of score of 76 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]
The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
Francesco Rosi was an Italian filmmaker, screenwriter and theatre director. His film The Mattei Affair won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to have political messages. While the topics of his later films became less politically oriented and more angled toward literature, he continued to direct until 1997, his last film being the adaptation of Primo Levi's book, The Truce.
Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on numerous film productions.
Matteo Garrone is an Italian filmmaker.
Roberto Saviano is an Italian writer, essayist, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book Gomorrah, he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reality of the territory and business of organized crime in Italy, in particular the Camorra crime syndicate, and of organized crime more generally.
Gomorrah is a 2008 Italian crime drama film directed by Matteo Garrone, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano, who also collaborated in the screenplay. It deals with the Casalesi clan, a crime syndicate within the Camorra — a traditional criminal organization based in Naples and Caserta, in the southern Italian region of Campania.
Pietro Taricone was an Italian actor, television personality, and reality show contestant on Grande Fratello. An avid athlete and extreme sport enthusiast, he was nicknamed "O’ guerriero".
Many Kisses Later is a 2009 Italian-French romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Fausto Brizzi and interpreted by an ensemble cast.
We Have a Pope is a 2011 Italian-French comedy-drama film directed by Nanni Moretti and starring Michel Piccoli and Moretti. Its original title is Latin for "We have a pope", the phrase used upon the announcement of a new pope. The story revolves around a cardinal who, against his wishes, is elected pope. A psychoanalyst is called in to help the pope overcome his panic. The film premiered in Italy in April 2011 and played in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival.
The Nastro d'Argento is a film award assigned each year, since 1948, by Sindacato Nazionale dei Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani, the association of Italian film critics.
Gomorrah is an Italian crime drama television series created by Roberto Saviano for Sky Atlantic. Based on Saviano's book of the same name, the show premiered on Sky Atlantic in Italy on 6 May 2014. The series ran for five seasons totaling 58 episodes until 17 December 2021. The 2008 film of the same name is loosely based on the same book, but unrelated to the TV series.
Tale of Tales is a 2015 European fantasy horror film co-written, directed and co-produced by Matteo Garrone and starring Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, and John C. Reilly. It is based on a collection of fairy tales by Italian poet Giambattista Basile, titled Pentamerone. The three main tales that inspired the film are La Cerva Fatata, La Pulce, La Vecchia Scorticata. An Italian-led production with co-producers in France and the United Kingdom, Tale of Tales is Garrone's only English-language film. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Marco Onorato was an Italian cinematographer.
Dogman is a 2018 Italian crime drama film inspired by real events involving Er Canaro, and directed by Matteo Garrone. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Marcello Fonte won the award for Best Actor. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, it was not nominated.
The Traitor is a 2019 internationally co-produced biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Marco Bellocchio, about the life of Tommaso Buscetta, the first Sicilian Mafia boss who was treated by some as pentito. Pierfrancesco Favino stars as Buscetta, alongside Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi and Luigi Lo Cascio.
Loredana Simioli was an Italian actress, comedian and television host.
Pinocchio is a 2019 fantasy film, co-written, directed, and co-produced by Matteo Garrone, based on the 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi. The film stars child actor Federico Ielapi as the title character, Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, Gigi Proietti as Mangiafuoco, Rocco Papaleo and Massimo Ceccherini as the Cat and the Fox, and Marine Vacth as the adult Fairy with Turquoise Hair. This was the final film featuring Proietti to be released before his death in November 2020.
The Immortal is a 2019 Italian crime film directed by Marco D'Amore. The film is both a prequel and a sequel to the events after the third season of the TV series Gomorrah.
The history of cinema in Naples begins at the end of the 19th century and over time it has recorded cinematographic works, production houses and notable filmmakers. Over the decades, the Neapolitan capital has also been used as a film set for many works, over 600 according to the Internet Movie Database, the first of which would be Panorama of Naples Harbor from 1901.
Massimo Gaudioso is an Italian screenwriter, film director, and occasional actor, best known for his professional association with Matteo Garrone.
Hey Joe is an upcoming Italian film directed by Claudio Giovannesi. It stars James Franco, Francesco Di Napoli, Giulia Ercolini, Aniello Arena, and Francesca Montuori. It will premiere at the Rome Film Festival before receiving a theatrical release in Italy on 28 November 2024.