You Laugh

With "Tu ridi" ("You laugh") the Taviani brothers made their second film with adaptations of short stories by Luigi Pirandello. Unlike "Kaos" (1984) the film was not well received. Why?

There are some possible explanations.

In the first place the quality of the stories can be worse than in 1984. This may be true of the second story, but I found the first one really charming in its melancholia.

Maybe viewers were misled by the title "You laugh", expecting some sort of comedy. In reality the two stories (about suicide and kidnapping respectively) are not that funny.

In the first story a man laughs in his sleep, earning him the suspicion of his wife who suspects he is laughing during erotic dreams. When the man finally finds out the thruth it is certainly not a relief. On the contrary, it shatters his self esteem.

Finally, sequels are frequently not of the quality of the original. "Tu ridi" may not be a sequel in the strict sense of the word (there are different short stories), but the concept is nevertheless the same. The film was not released in France as "Kaos2" without a reason.

My conclusion is that while "Tu ridi" is not of the same quality as "Kaos", certainly the first story is well worth watching.

Earlier in this review I said that the title does not indicate a comedy, but this does not mean that humor is entirely absent, it only is of the black kind. When the foreign wife of the main character of the first story curses him because she suspects him of infidelity in his dreams, he begs her to at least curse him in his own language.

As a Frenchman, i have always been attracted by Italia because Italians are said to be "happy french". That explains why i used to watch a lot Italian channels on satellite and how i discovered Italian stars. But open markets aren't a reality in culture thus it's hard to find their movies.

This one stars "la" Ferilli and it's actually two short movies in one. If the stories are totally different (a suicide and a kidnapping), the directing blend them (a lot of blue filter for the night, long sequences of silence,...) and they are heavy on drama! Hope seems impossible. The only source of joy and happiness comes from the women in a sort of Holy Mary: "la" Ferilli and the criminal's wife brings a striking light in all this darkness. They may appears for seconds but they are really received as saviors. In addition, the movies take place in small town or the country so it's a rather enjoyable trip out there! In conclusion, there is indubitably a lot of gripping poetry here but it's a pity that it is hurt by the irritating laughing of "Boza Maljkovic".

A film about taste of life. About cruel innocence and search of yourself, a splendid Pirandello- Taviani cocktail and description of the essence of gestures.

A delicate pledge for the discover of world. Victims and games. Expectation and subtle fear. And ambiguous definitions of life.

The first part is the story of a poor man and his strange cruelty. About images of a gray existence, small frustrations and desire to be more than a shadow. A strange murder and the bricks of life are only gloomy dust. But the desires are more than dreams of fictions.

The second story is picture of the life's waves. A kidnapping in two different eras. A priest and a boy. And the same death. It is a tale about fly, art, knowledge and its ashes. Exploration of basic errors and ambiguous gestures. End of innocence and forms of interior lies. Limits of game and voice of its blood.

Paolo & Vittorio Taviani are an enigma that even startle, a bit, the Coen-brothers. They are supposed to be the last true storytellers on the silver screen, and maybe that is true. Whenever they use the books of Luigi Pirandello, it must be true. Alright, this film is very Very good, (although it does not reach the sheer perfection of their KAOS) with all the subtle and cruel differences of emotion mankind has to offer. Available on DVD thanks to the Dutch label Homescreen (only Dutch subtitles and the original Italian language I am afraid), this really is a film not to be missed. Like all the films of these two brothers....