Open Roads: New Italian Cinema At Lincoln Center 2014

[Chris Knipp]

EMMA DANTE: A STREET IN PALERMO (2013)


ALBA ROHRWACHER AND EMMA DANTE IN A STREET IN PALERMO

Stubborn hotheads

In this original but claustrophobic and overlong movie a lesbian couple squabble in their car in front of a jittery camera. Rosa, played by Emma Dante, a theatrical director whose novel this is based upon, and and her lover, Clara (Alba Rohrwacher, I Am Love, The Man Who Will Come), have made the trip from Milan to Sicily's capital and are on their way to a friend’s wedding. It's hot, they're tired, and their relationship seems on the verge of ending. Apart from travel fatigue, Rosa, who hails from Palermo but rarely comes back now, is put in a bad mood just by the memories her home town brings back. As they drive into a narrow street (we're told it's Via Castellana Bandiera, the film's Italian title, but to the untutored eye it just looks like any dusty alley), they come head-on to a tiny old vehicle full of locals coming in the opposite direction from a day by the water, which we have also gotten glimpses of. The occupants turn out to be members of the Calafiore family. Driving is Samira (Elena Cotta, who won the Venice Best Actress award for her stolid performance), an aged crone of Albanian origin. In the car is her large, boorish son-in-law, Saro Calafiore (Renato Malfatti), a former handyman who now claims disability, and a bossy, foul-mouthed, dialect-spewing troublemaker. He insists they not back up, and commands Samira to remain in place. Rosa, angry at the world, apparently, and happy for a fight, is unwilling to back up too. The standoff lasts all evening, all night, and into the early morning, though people get in and out of the cars.

This is meant to be a portrait of Sicilian and perhaps Italian stubbornness, and hardly a flattering one. Many details of local culture are presented during the course of the lengthy standoff, which includes action in the Calafiore house nearby, where the son-in-law takes bets on what will happen. Young Nicolò (Dario Casarolo), who has been diving -- the family is coming from a day by the sea, is a peacemaker, who is concerned for Samira, whose physical strength is taken to its limits by this standoff, and also spends an hour or so walking around with Clara.

There are amusements and Dante pumps a lot of dramatic content and a surprising variety of characters and scenes into this basically simple and static situation, but the action nonetheless is overshadowed by its inevitable air of utter pointlessness. While this may or may not be entertaining for viewers, it is a kind of metaphor for Italy, which may see itself as stuck in hopeless conflicts and unable to movie forward. One may question whether the action can support such larger significance, however. Other than the side betting on the outcome, which winds up being only a small element, there seems to be not so much at stake in the action. Perhaps Saro has the betting scheme in mind all along. But Rosa's willingness to dig in seems somewhat inexplicable. One would think she of all people would want to get on with it. At the end there is a quietly tragic finale, a relaxation of the tension, and the seeming reconciliation of Rosa and Clara, but all that feels like a bit of a letdown after the ordeal we've gone through. There are a lot of scenes that feel drawn out too long, like the extended stable shot that ends the film, with people running up to and beyond the camera, which is attractive at first, but then continues till it loses all verisimilitude. More patient viewers may feel otherwise.

Alba Rohrwacher is the sister of Alice Rohrwacher, director of Corpo Celeste, who just won the Grand Prize at Cannes for her new film The Wonders/Le meraviglie.

A Street in Palermo/Via Castellana Bandiera, 93 mins., debuted at Venice.