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Caro diario
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Wikipedia article
'Caro diario' is a 1993 Italian-French semi-autobiographical comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Nanni Moretti, who also stars as himself. The film is structured in three anthological episodes, presented as the chapters of Moretti's open diary, in which he describes his thoughts about various slice of life situations.
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where Moretti won the Best Director Award.
Plot
Chapter I: 'In Vespa' ('On My Vespa')
Putting the hot Roman summer to good use,Nanni Morettidedicates himself to his favorite hobby, riding hisVespathrough the streets of the half-desertedcity.Here, Moretti lets the landscape inspire his thoughts: he laments the banalization of politics in contemporaryItalian cinema, comments on the gentrification of the quarters of Rome, mocks the overzealous critical reception of movies like'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer', and confesses his love for dance caused by the movie 'Flashdance' later meeting itsstar Jennifer Beals. Finally, he visits the place in Ostia wherePier Paolo Pasoliniwas killed, to pay his respects.
Chapter II: 'Isole' ('Islands')
Having to work on an idea for a new movie, Moretti decides to leave Rome for a while for the more peaceful Aeolian Islands. In Lipari he's the guest of his friend Gerardo, an austere scholar who moved there eleven years earlier to better study James Joyce's 'Ulysses' without being distracted by modern commodities such as television, which he despises. However, both are unable to find the tranquility they're searching for since the number of tourists has suddenly increased.They move to Salina, where they are guests of two couples friends of Gerardo, both incapable of managing their hyperactive children, a feature that seems rampant on the entire island. Meanwhile, Gerardo begins watching television and gradually becomes completely addicted to it, and especially to soap operas. They move again, this time to Stromboli, where they are constantly bothered by a megalomaniac mayor who tries to involve them in the oddest projects.
They finally move toAlicudi, frugal and isolated, lacking water and electricity. Here Moretti seems to have found the right place to focus on his project, but soon Gerardo runs away in despair to catch the last ferry, unable to live without his favorite soap operas, while disavowing his ideals and proclaiming undying love for cheap entertainment.
Chapter III: 'Medici' ('Doctors')
Moretticlarifies to the audiencethat the following chapter will be based on a true story happened to him some years earlier; one day, he begins to suffer from persistent itching and insomnia. He visits many doctors and specialists, but they all dismiss him with different diagnosis, prescribing to him a lot of costly drugs and prohibiting him to eat most of his favorite food. Seeing no improvements, Moretti unsuccessfully tries alternative cures like reflexology and acupuncture.After almost a year, a doctor notices his developing cough during a visit and suggests him an X-ray. That reveals a mass on his lung, which after abiopsyis discovered to be astill-curable Hodgkin's lymphoma. Moretti successfully goes through chemotherapy and has the lymphoma cured. Sometime later, he reads the definition of Hodgkin's lymphoma in a basic medical encyclopedia, finding out that its most common symptoms are exactly itchingandinsomnia. Surrounded by the dozens of useless drugs he bought, Moretti laments the incapability of most doctors of listening to their patients, before making a bitter toast "to health" with a glass of water.
Cast
Source:
; Chapter I ('In Vespa')
; Chapter II ('Isole')
; Chapter III ('Medici')
Reception
The film grossed L8.3 billion in Italy It also grossed $3.1 million in France.
Year-end lists
* 9th Janet Maslin, 'The New York Times'
* Honorable mention David Elliott, 'The San Diego Union-Tribune'
* Honorable mention Jeff Simon, 'The Buffalo News'
Accolades
See also
* List of Italian films of 1993
References
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