“Luca” has rich overtones of a coming out story dealing with identity and acceptance, as well as numerous references to Italian culture, music, and more cinema italiano.
Episode #22: Human Capital (Paolo Virzì, 2013)
Class, wealth, and power are at the forefront of Paolo Virzì’s award-winning drama.
Episode #21: The Passionate Thief (Mario Monicelli, 1960)
Mario Monicelli’s New Year’s Eve-set comedy surfaces generational divides, power dynamics, and deception.
Episode #20: The Best of 2020
Counting down the top 5 Italian films of 2020.
Episode #19: Cinema Italian Style 2020
Notturno, Padrenostro, Lacci (The Ties), and more!
Episode #18: The Early Films of Pietro Marcello
An exploration of Pietro Marcello’s first four features: Crossing the Line (2007), The Mouth of the Wolf (2009), The Silence of Pelesjan (2011), and Lost and Beautiful (2015).
Episode #17: Caro diario (Nanni Moretti, 1993)
This episode discusses Nanni Moretti’s Caro diario (Dear Diary), an introspective autobiographical look at three phases of Moretti’s life. This story… Read more Episode #17: Caro diario (Nanni Moretti, 1993)
Episode #16: Tommaso (Abel Ferrara, 2019)
This episode explores Abel Ferrara’s Tommaso, a semi-autobiographical tale of an American filmmaker living in Rome with his wife and daughter.… Read more Episode #16: Tommaso (Abel Ferrara, 2019)
Episode #15: L’Innocente (Luchino Visconti, 1976)
This episode features an audio essay on Luchino Visconti’s final film L’Innocente (The Innocent), discussing the film’s themes of dishonesty, self-interest,… Read more Episode #15: L’Innocente (Luchino Visconti, 1976)
Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)
The film presents characters with agency, privilege, and power, and the question ultimately is how (or whether) they choose to exercise that.
