Ribelli per caso

There is no shortage of films in which the plot revolves around a meal. In La Grande Bouffe, the dinner is a form of suicide. Food in Like Water for Chocolate is a means of seduction. Ribelli per caso is a deft comedy in which dining becomes rebellion against the medical establishment. The plot of any Food Film of necessity must be driven by two elements: the preparation and consumption of The Meal, and the interaction among the several characters involved in the process. Ribelli is set in a hospital ward. The patients are men of a variety of ages, occupations and social classes. They bond. As a gesture of defiance against the dietary restrictions of the gastrointestinal unit and the arrogance of the medical staff, they lock themselves in the ward and prepare and eat a huge dinner while family, physicians and police frantically attempt to stop them. This film could have been one more gastronomic cliche, but director/writer Vincenzo Terracciano neatly sidesteps all the inherent traps. With a light touch and a skilled ensemble of actors, he presents us with a bittersweet comedy about the assertion of one's humanity in the most de-humanizing of today's institutions: the hospital. Ribelli per caso puts a clever spin on a cinematic formula and invests this tired genre with an unexpected freshness.

This small Italian film was an interesting find when it was shown in a cable channel. The movie takes aim at Italian health services that appears to be in disarray, the same way as in other countries, ours being not an exception. One can relate to the way the group of patients at a men's ward feel dealing with the bureaucracies of the system.

Dr. Sorvino, who is in charge of the ward, has a to share a lot of the guilt in the way the men rebel and decide to take justice in their hands in order to prove their point. What they do is to create a feast and enjoy themselves because most of them have been deprived of most things that as part of their health regimen.

The film, directed by Vincenzo Terraciano moves at a quick pace, no small accomplishment for the team involved in this project. The cast is excellent and play with conviction. Antonio Catania, Antonio Petrocelli, Giovanni Esposito, Franco Iavaroni do a wonderful job.

A fun comedy to watch as it will no doubt please lovers of the genre.