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Once upon a time there was a dream that now exists no more
In a small suburb on the outskirts of Rome, the cheerful heat of summer camouflages a stifling atmosphere of alienation. From a distance, the families seem normal, but it’s an illusion: in the houses, courtyards and gardens, silence shrouds the subtle sadism of the fathers, the passivity of the mothers and the guilty indifference of adults. But it’s the desperation and repressed rage of the children that will explode and cut through this grotesque façade, with devastating consequences for the entire community.
Avis de la communauté (4)
[Filmin] The interest in extracting the most sordid aspects of the relationship between adults and children, confirmed in their second film "America Latina" (2021), is sustained in the gaze of a murky, disturbing daily life. The D'Innocenzo brothers are part of those directors who recreate themselves in a rarity (Seidl, Vermont, Dumont...), who nevertheless extract from reality (the tv news about family violence in both films). It is a regressive coming-of-age, a dark tale without a happy ending.
These children do not cope very well with suburban life: Plan A) bomb; Plan B) collective suicide.
Half way in, I could have sworn it was a black comedy. The family fathers are beyond absurdly unpleasant. Well, all except a select few. The mothers are barely peripheral, ethereal even. With these stereotypical - caricature - Italian macho men as fathers, I'd expect the mothers to be more involved in the family and the children. I had to double check; drama, mystery, thriller... Well, I guess it's one of those cultural things then. As far as I can tell, it's not considered absurd or surreal in Italy. Damn I'm glad I'm born elsewhere. Anyway, interesting tale though could have been told better. From my point of view closer to Yorgos Lanthimos than David Clark but I don't think that's how it is intended.