Nostalgia

Beautiful film, intense characters. I was in la Sanita recently and actually spent time at the church of Don Luigi in the film and heard all about the Catholic local church movement rehabilitating the catacombs and the area, and the youth reclaming their neighbourhood. Naples has a soul and Nostalgia portrays that well. Loved that the film did not sugarcoat the city, and kept grit and all... the filming conveys a true to life filter. The real Naples still reeks of its history of violence and behind the Italian cliche romance, a lot of people have lived in fear. Beautiful movie and flowing acting. Loved the Oreste character portrayal. Nice fusion of Arabic culture as well.

Pierfrancesco Favino is "Felice", who returns to his native Naples to find his elderly mother "Teresa" (Aurora Quattrocchi) living in a basement apartment, rarely washing and taking much care of herself. He determines to hang around and help her get back on her feet whilst at the same time working with the local priest "Luigi" (Francesco Di Leva) to reunite with his childhood friend "Spasiano" (Tommaso Ragno) who has meantime become the elusive local criminal kingpin. It has been many a year since "Felice" could consider himself a local, and the city is largely new and unfamiliar to him, as is the angry and violent criminal fraternity that holds much of the place in it's grip. Can he meet and reconcile with his erstwhile friend? Is he even safe to do so? This is a great looking film capturing well the beauty and the turmoil of this ancient city whilst director Mario Martone offers us a chance to relive some of the memories this, now Muslim and married, visitor recalls as he retraces many of the steps of his childhood. There is very little joy in this film, it's a rather depressing affair that at times really does labour the despair facing many in this community. That's not to say it isn't worth watching, but after a while I felt drained and a bit confused before an ending that I couldn't quite get my head around. Anger? Spite? Pity, even? It's a long watch and I probably wouldn't ever watch it again - but I am glad that I did, once.

This is a plot which has already been used before: the lead character who comes back home after many years away and who suddenly finds out all the changes that occured during his - or her - absence. Italian movies have already given us such topics: FORGET PALERMO. Or French LE FILS from Pierre Granier Deferra, starring Yves Montand. More or less same scheme. This movie which I review now is full of nostaligia, as its title says, It is not a crime film, but a drama with some social elements about Italy today. With of course the Mafia and church influence on the Italian society. It is rather dark, a bit gloomy but beautiful, really worth the view. Flawless acting and directing too; excellent camera work.

This is the kind of movie that is very strange to me. Don't tell that to anyone, but coming from a Sicilian family, anything that happens in a city where the Napolitan mafia scares everyone, looks very familiar. Felice left Napoli 40 years before, and comes back to a city that looks like what he remembers, but feels completely different. He first comes back to see his dying mom, and spend some times with her before going back to his wife in Egypt. After 40 years, Felice has become Muslim, and has troubles speaking Italian (he usually speaks Arabic). He comes back to a Catholic Napoli, where the Catholic priest is leading the war against the Camorra, and its boss 'O malommo' (the bad man). Felice reminisces about his past, about an 'Oreste' that was his best friend, who defended him and helped him in every way, and you wonder what happened to him. As you go through his childhood in Napoli, the parallel is made with current Napoli, with the Catholic priest showing Felice that not everything is great, but that he is trying and giving everything he can to the kids of the neighbourhood, so that they get out of the Camorra's influence. The actors are great, and the story all too familiar to me, and I really liked that movie. Yes, the ending is expected, but it couldn't have been any other way.

Home is where the heart is?

The protagonist of this beautiful Italian film is hunting for what once was. Pierfrancesco Favino plays Felice, who returns to his hometown of Naples after 40 years. He finds that the city has not changed since he hastily left there as a 15-year-old. Well, that's what he believes and his naive upbringing of his hometown is conveyed to us as viewers. We would like to believe him. But sense problems. Felice almost ran away after a serious incident involving both him and his best friend growing up. The filmmakers take a long time to tell us what happened, and I won't give away anything here.

The film shows with insight what different path choices do to people over time. It's just that the protagonist fails to take this perspective into account. He longs to return to something that no longer exists.

The film is slow and lingering. Beautifully photographed. Excellent acting performances from all the cast. I understand very well that this was Italy's Oscar candidate the year it came out.

Watch it because you want to see Naples through the eyes and feelings of the main character. Watch it because it's something different from 90 percent of what goes on in theaters and is streamed. Here are real emotions, hope, longing and sadness.