Oh boy, this was made almost forty years ago and - what a surprise! - we are basically still stuck in the same traffic jam. Only today nobody bothers anymore with the whole anti-consumerism shtick, mainly, I suspect, because we have bought this lifestyle hook, line and sinker, ingesting it to a degree that it has now become our second nature. So, here's a lot to like and a lot to learn, social commentary not only on Italian but most of our contemporary Western societies. But be prepared, I am by no means a squeamish viewer, but there is this one scene where a strong, independent, likeable female character is gang raped by three devilishly handsome yuppie guys in the back of a baby food truck. All the while, four old guys armed to the teeth watch on as if the spectacle was put on display solely for their own amusement. I found this hard to swallow and putting a somewhat sour note on an otherwise provocative, critical but also thoughtful and clever movie. On the other hand, if you compare this movie to the utter politically correct drivel we are served nowadays in multiplexes everywhere, it feels almost like a breath of fresh air, despite the toxic fumes emanating from its mega congestion.
Review of Traffic Jam
