It's vibrantly shot throughout, with the handheld camerawork well suited to conveying Accio's impulsive behaviour.
My Brother is an Only Child (2006)
Rated: 15
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Theatrical Release: 04-04-2008
Synopsis: Already a smash in its native Italy, MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD, which was presented at this year’s Cannes and Toronto film festivals, reunites director Luchetti with longtime collaborators Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli, best known as screenwriters of the highly acclaimed “The Best... Already a smash in its native Italy, MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD, which was presented at this year’s Cannes and Toronto film festivals, reunites director Luchetti with longtime collaborators Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli, best known as screenwriters of the highly acclaimed “The Best of Youth.” Set in a small Italian town in the 60’s and 70’s, the film tells the story of two brothers who want to change the world – but in completely different ways. The elder, Manrico (Riccardo Scarmaccio), is a handsome, charismatic firebrand who becomes the prime mover in the local Communist party. Accio, (Elio Germano) the younger, more rebellious brother, finds his own contrarian voice by joining the reactionary Fascists. What starts as a typical tale of sibling rivalry becomes the story of the polarizing and paralyzing politics of those turbulent times and, the rift between the brothers is further intensified when Accio realizes that he loves his brother’s girlfriend, Francesca (Diane Fleri) who, like everyone else, is blind to Manrico’s increasingly dangerous ideas. An intensely cinematic and incredibly incisive film about the dreams and disillusionments of the 60’s and 70’s, MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD is set in the exact era of the groundbreaking early classics of Bernardo Bertolucci and Marco Bellochio. Not only does Luchetti pay explicit homage to those films – “Before the Revolution,” “Fist in the Pocket,” and “China is Near” – he comes very close to matching their beauty, intelligence, and youthful exuberance. --© THINKFilm [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Angela Finocchiaro, Luca Zingaretti, Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Diane Fleri
Producer: Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz
Screenwriter: Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli, Daniele Luchetti
Composer: Franco Piersanti
DVD Info
Release:
May 8, 2008
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Widescreen 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
- Subtitles - English SDH, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Trailer
Reviews
manages to evoke, but never trivialise, the mad, internecine conflicts of recent Italian political history
Thanks to the captivating performances, this is well worth checking out.
Engaging, sharply directed drama with a strong script and superb performances, though you occasionally feel you're missing out on a deeper meaning.
My Brother Is An Only Child reminisces with improbable yet affecting fondness over the adolescents behind the -isms that would shape post-war Italy.
It's an engrossing political love story, with a strong sense of the shadings within the daily lives of these characters.
Fast-paced, well-acted and acute about sibling rivalry, the film nonetheless fails to leave a strong impression.
This is such a lovely film from writer/director Daniele Luchetti, nostalgic perhaps, but with that indefinable Italian whimsy that takes serious political themes and undermines them beautifully.
The performances are astonishing, perhaps enabled by the flawless script.
Despite the awards pedigree, the drama is a bit of a slog at times, with Accio taking seemingly ages to come of age, but nobody said growing up was easy.
"Only Child" is both funny and heartbreaking, and incredibly adept at shifting between lighter and darker tones.
Although familiarity with Italian politics helps in appreciating this film, anyone can enjoy this energetic tale of a house divided.
Although familiarity with Italian politics helps in appreciating this film, anyone can enjoy this energetic tale of a house divided.
The linkage in this movie between politics and family dynamics is a point well taken, but the movie -- whose sense of frenetic activity going nowhere is captured by Luchetti's buoyant camera -- does go on and on before anyone learns anything.
The best thing about the movie are the performances, all of which are outstanding; in particular, Angela Finocchiaro, who plays the long-suffering mother, is superb.
Sometimes, under a torrent of social pressures, water runs faster, if not thicker, than blood, and even the strongest bonds drown in the flood.
The film's early affability eventually wears out, and a sharp turn into deadly seriousness feels out of place.
My Brother Is an Only Child is a buoyant, handsomely crafted film.
A coming-of-age story about a young man who – like the era he was born into – has no idea how to come of age, except by violent fits and starts, in all directions, to varying ends, and ready to change course whenever the mood strikes.
You don't need a degree in political science to love this film...The film entertainingly demonstrates that the bonds of blood are stronger than those of ideology.


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