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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)

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Reviews Counted:58

Fresh:50

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.

Rated: 15

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

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... 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]

Starring: Angela Finocchiaro, Luca Zingaretti, Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio

Starring: Angela Finocchiaro, Luca Zingaretti, Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio, Diane Fleri, Alba Rohrwacher, Massimo Popolizio

Director: Daniele Luchetti

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

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Reviews for My Brother Is An Only Child

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Daniele Luchetti's fluent, heartfelt Italian picture is the story of two brothers born after the war, who come of age in the 1960s and drift apart in the paranoid, violent, sour political atmosphere of Italy in the 70s.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/08/08
Thomas Dawson
Thomas Dawson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
04/06/08
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/06/08
Ross Bennett
Ross Bennett
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
04/03/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

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 Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/27/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film, which argues that blood brotherhood is stronger than political brotherhoods, vibrates with their youthful energy and ardor.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
10/18/08
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

A merry swirl of vital, passionate performances.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

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

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
06/20/08
Paul Byrnes
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald

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

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
06/20/08
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)

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 Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
06/13/08
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies (Australia)

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

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
06/12/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

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 Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
06/12/08
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

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

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

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

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
06/08/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

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

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
06/08/08
Beth Accomando
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org

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 Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
06/06/08
Philip Marchand
Philip Marchand
Toronto Star

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 Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/06/08
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

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 Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
06/06/08
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

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

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
05/22/08
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly
 
 
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Latest News for My Brother Is An Only Child

March 25, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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July 24, 2007: Mio fratelle e figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child) - preview & trailer Opens in new window
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