Reviewed by Michael Edwards
Stars Tony Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Piera Degli Esposti, Giorgio Colangeli,
Paolo Graziosi, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Alberto Cracco | Written by Paolo Sorrentino
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 114 minutes | Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
This film is many things. It's a stylistic Italian arthouse movie, a political biography, and a gangster film. But above all else it is a quirky and innovative story that defies clinical categorisation.
Paolo Sorrentino's biopic of long-serving Italian politician Guilio Andreotti begins with a series of brutal, bizarre and, apparently, inexplicable deaths listed chronologically. We then jump to Andreotti preparing, in his own meticulous and idiosyncratic way, for a meeting with his political clan. We are privy to an insider meeting before being whisked in the maddening world of Italian politics in the weeks preceding the collapse of Andreotti's world, for he is about to be accused of corruption and collusion with the mafia.
For those who do not know the history of Andreotti's time in office, the film can be a very confusing experience. Moments of surreal punctuate the humdrum daily affairs of politics, and even apparently ordinary scenarios are occasionally given a puzzling twist. The disorientating effect this has is not helped by the ambiguous moral stance the filmmaker takes on his subject. Andreotti is presented as a driven man, and a man of great moral fibre derived from his devout Catholicism. But at the same time he is a ruthless pragmatist who uses knowledge as a direct and privileged form of power to be wielded whenever and wherever required to achieve what he believes is 'right'.
This is not to say that the film is unrewarding, far from it. If you are au fait with the politics of the time then it is a richly layered and incredibly intriguing take on events. And if you aren't, it becomes an enchanting puzzle that, when solved, is all the more satisfying. There is also great satisfaction to be derived from the aesthetics and the wry humour built into the film. The visuals are frankly superb, with lighting and camera work to rival anything in the last couple of years. So good are the visuals that I am tempted to make a comparison to the Italian masters. But that would risk making my assessment a little too pretentious.
A word of praise must also go to Toni Servillo, whose portrayal of Andreotti is outstanding. Capturing the idiosyncracies of his subject under such close and constant scrutiny from the director is a real achievement, and it pays dividends by creating a really strong character for us to grasp amidst the fluctuating layers of Sorrentino's commentary. Il Divo is a hugely rewarding film which is worth the effort of watching it. And if the confusing tale becomes too much, you can sit back and let the visuals wash over you.
EXTRAS *** There's a making-of featurette; another about the special effects; a two-part interview with director Sorrentino; deleted scenes; and some trailers.