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MOVIES / ON DVD / MY BROTHER IS AN ONLY CHILD
My Brother is an Only Child

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My Brother is an Only Child (2006)

85%
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85%
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85 %
Reviews Counted: 55 Fresh: 47  Rotten:8 Average Rating: 7/10
 
Consensus: Luchetti takes advantage of the storyline's historical context without sacrificing his cast's fine performances or the script's light wit.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

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

Director: Daniele Luchetti
Producer: Riccardo Tozzi, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz
Screenwriter: Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli, Daniele Luchetti
Composer: Franco Piersanti

DVD Info

Release:

May 8, 2008

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
  • Subtitles - English SDH, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailer

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
3/5

It's vibrantly shot throughout, with the handheld camerawork well suited to conveying Accio's impulsive behaviour.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/08
Thomas Dawson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/6

manages to evoke, but never trivialise, the mad, internecine conflicts of recent Italian political history

Full Review | comment Comment
04/06/08
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

Thanks to the captivating performances, this is well worth checking out.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/06/08
Ross Bennett
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3/5

Engaging, sharply directed drama with a strong script and superb performances, though you occasionally feel you're missing out on a deeper meaning.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/03/08
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
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N/A

My Brother Is An Only Child reminisces with improbable yet affecting fondness over the adolescents behind the -isms that would shape post-war Italy.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/27/08
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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N/A

It's an engrossing political love story, with a strong sense of the shadings within the daily lives of these characters.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/20/08
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
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2.5/5

Fast-paced, well-acted and acute about sibling rivalry, the film nonetheless fails to leave a strong impression.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/20/08
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
Ratings Image
4/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/13/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies
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N/A

The performances are astonishing, perhaps enabled by the flawless script.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/12/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Ratings Image
3/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/12/08
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
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3.5/4

"Only Child" is both funny and heartbreaking, and incredibly adept at shifting between lighter and darker tones.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/11/08
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
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N/A

Although familiarity with Italian politics helps in appreciating this film, anyone can enjoy this energetic tale of a house divided.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/08/08
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
Ratings Image
N/A

Although familiarity with Italian politics helps in appreciating this film, anyone can enjoy this energetic tale of a house divided.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/08/08
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
Ratings Image
2.5/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/08
Philip Marchand
Toronto Star
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3/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/08
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
Ratings Image
3/4

Sometimes, under a torrent of social pressures, water runs faster, if not thicker, than blood, and even the strongest bonds drown in the flood.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/08
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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2.5/5

The film's early affability eventually wears out, and a sharp turn into deadly seriousness feels out of place.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/22/08
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
Ratings Image
3/4

My Brother Is an Only Child is a buoyant, handsomely crafted film.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/16/08
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Ratings Image
3/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/16/08
Josh Rosenblatt
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image
3.5/4

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/15/08
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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