Aprile
Director | Nanni Moretti
Presented by ISLAND GELATO CO
The charm of Aprile is that it remains unflinchingly silly, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny.
A filmmaker (Nanni Moretti) takes a comic look at the ebbs and flows of his life as he becomes a father for the first time and struggles to make a film. His original production is derailed and becomes a documentary on the upcoming elections and the unfathomable possibility of Italy voting in a left-wing government.
1998 | 78 min | Comedy | Italy | Italian with English subtitles
CAST Nanni Moretti, Silvio Orlando, Silvia Nono, Pietro Moretti
Director Nanni Moretti smuggles in clever personal, political and philosophical ideas without any pretence of seriousness. The backdrop to the story is the birth of Moretti’s own child, coinciding with the election of the notorious Silvio Berlusconi. Again, he plays a version of himself, a filmmaker constantly distracted by his son's impending birth and perturbed by Italy’s turn towards a new political movement now described as ‘Populism’. It’s a perfect mix of the personal with the philosophical. Anyone old enough to have lived through the 90’s will find it fascinating to see how our present was so shaped by those years. Moretti’s mix of absurd humour, slapstick, autobiography and poignancy, make Nanni Moretti a genuine ‘Auteur’ like no other living Italian Director.
..he makes it all so funny. The film is a delight to watch (even more so if you know anything about Italy). It is also a cinematic masterpiece
Chris Wagstaff. British Film Institute. Sight and Sound
NOMINATED
Palme D’Or, Cannes Film Festival
WINNER
Best European Film, Goya Awards
WINNER
Best Supporting Actor, Silvio Orlando, Davide di Donatello Awards
WINNER
Best Supporting Actor, Silvio Orlando, Golden Ciak Awards
Director’s Synopsis
28 March 1994
At my mother's house, I watch the results of the government elections an television.
The right-wing party has won.
A television reporter on one of the channels announces the victory of Berlusconi, owner of three television stations.
For the first time in my life I smoke a joint.
25 Aprile 1994
After the victory of the right-wing, people start talking about the Resistance again. Both sides lost many men, both sides had their motives for fighting.
I go to Milan to film the 25 April demonstration, anniversary of the Liberation.