Reviews

Premix: as a non-italian, I would have probably given a lower rating. However, everyone living in Italy knows the importance of this story in the Italian "pop" culture, and how important it is to keep talking about it.

The story narrated is incredibly interesting, and the docu-series helps re-ordering the puzzle which has been unfolded in the last 35 years. A puzzle with various and different pieces: a story of a missing girl, a story with intertwined religious and political powers, a story of corruption, a story of a family which never loses faith.

However, although the docu-series lucidly describes all the different theories behind this case, it does not really add anything new to what is already known, a part from the very last new witness in the last episode, giving a sense of "I whish but I couldn't" as soon as the last episode ends.

On the production side, the docu-series is well done, though it was probably way over-streched: some specific episodes received way too much importance, and the cut-scenes were all over the places and way over used throughout all the episodes, ending up boring the viewer.

Nevertheless, if someone is able to overcome these issue, and to focus on the main point of the story, she will be able to better understand what is behind one of the biggest scandal in Vatican's history, and to witness the tragic story of Emanuela Orlandi.

Let's hope the truth will come out sooner or later.

What else can be added to this film? Words risk being almost superfluous, or worse, harmful. Once at the credits, you easily find yourself full of emotions, feelings. You feel like you have been a spectator of something secret, magical, but which in practice was nothing more than three ordinary lives, linked by a deep friendship with strong roots as only war can create. Through them, you witness the history of Italy, with a society that changes irremediably, disappointing those who, in the 45', thought that perhaps the world could change for the better, whereas "instead it was the life that changed us" as it is summed up by one of the disillusioned protagonists towards the end of the movie. Everything is brought to the screen lightly and comically, but without ever missing a continuous criticism, often also deliberately grotesque, of the changes affecting the world at those times. A recommended movie, for sure, which manages to perfectly convey the undaunted flow of time, and the randomness with which life finds itself taking certain turns, roads, directions. A film that takes you by the hand and that, in the end, leads you to think about how nostalgic and ironic is the path of each of us.

P.S: Unfortunately, for the non-Italians, it is difficult to grasp one last aspect: the film exudes Romanism, intended as a popular, direct, straightforward reality. It is everywhere: in the slang used in most of the dialogues, in the places where scenes take place (such as in the tavern). A piece that fits perfectly into this magnificent puzzle.

First of all: you are going to see an action movie, period. The sooner you understand it, the better. An action movie that, at least, is developed upon an original idea in pure Nolan's style, but that, unfortunately, is not exempted by all the cliché following this kind of films. However, the true problems are linked with all the "black holes" in the screenplay: the characters does not have any development throughout the duration of the movie; the dialogues are always (and with always I mean always) boring and foregone, it is basically something you have listen at least 1000 times in different action movies, and I truly believe that it would have been better to cut most of them; moreover, the plot, apart from the (weak) original expedient used by Nolan, is hardly convincing. The result? You're are left with zero emotions, and no link with the characters at all. Anyway, if you are able to overcome these problems, you can enjoy a good action movie that will be able to entertain you for all of its length. Because that's it, pure entertainment, no more. Nolan already proved himself able to do way better, even within this movie's category (did someone say "the batman trilogy"?). And I don't even mention other movies like Memento or The Prestige: those are another level, unfortunately.

"Santiago, Italia" is not a documentary, not only at least. It talks about people, their stories, their memories, their struggles. It talks about the importance and the value of hospitality and fraternity towards those who are around us. And, of course, it talks about the ignoble military coup in Chile against a democratically elected government, an episode that is too often forgotten - also due to precise international political reasons - that should deserve way more attention. The point of view of Moretti Is obvious since the beginning of the movie, but is never too biased (it interviews also some members of the military coup), and it is only toward the end of the movie that it becomes clear what are the real messages that the Italian film-maker wants to deliver to the viewer. Last, but not least, everything is embedded by a subtle, soft critique to the modern social and economic system, that forces us to rethink about some priorities and believes of our life. A gem.