The Illusion | L’Abbaglio
Director | Roberto Ando
Presented by SAN PELLEGRINO& FEDERAL MERCHANTS
Starring popular comic duo Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone and festival favourite Toni Servillo (also in La Grazia, and Sicilian Letters), The Illusion is a fun re-imagining of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860 campaign that unified Italy.
2025 | 133 mins | Italy | Drama,Comedy, Historial | Italian with English subtitles
Young idealists from all regions of Italy join Giuseppe Garibaldi in Quarto, near Genoa, for the adventure of the “Mille”. with his faithful group of officers, including the loyal Colonel Vincenzo Giodano Orsini (Servillo), Garibaldi recruits volunteers for the expedition. Among the many soldiers recruited are two (fictitious) Sicilians, peasant farmer Domenico Trico (Ficarra), and noble yet penniless trickster Rosario Spitale (Picone).
Landing at Marsala, Sicilty, the “Mille” begins fighting with the Bourbon army, whose superior numbers are immediately evident, and it seems impossible to breach enemy lines. But when is is almost forced to retreat, Garibaldi devises an ingenious plan.
Directed and co-written by Roberto Ando, this entertaining tale blends comedy and drama to illuminate a piece of history, exploring the paradoxes of Sicilian identity.
STAGES THE PAST TO SPEAK OF THE PRESENT. ANDO DOES SO MASTERFULLY, LIGHTLY AND SHREWDLY
Cineuropa