Pinocchio (2019)

Directed by: Matteo Garrone | 125 minutes | fantasy | Actors: Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni, Rocco Papaleo, Massimo Ceccherini, Marine Vacth, Gigi Proietti, Alida Baldari Calabria, Alessio Di Domenicantonio, Maria Pia Timo, Davide Marotta, Paolo Graziosi

Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) is a poor carpenter who barely has any money to eat. When he accidentally stumbles upon a traveling circus that works with wooden dolls, he suddenly has an idea for a new project. He manages to get hold of a particularly beautiful piece of wood and begins to carve out a wooden doll himself, which he calls Pinocchio. When Pinocchio (Federico Ielapi) suddenly comes to life, Geppetto is overjoyed to have a real boy. However, Pinocchio himself has other plans and instead of going to school like a good boy, he runs away. This is the beginning of a wild adventure through Italy, in which all kinds of colorful characters will cross Pinocchio’s path.

Pinocchio is still a much loved character after almost 150 years. In addition to the children’s book “The Adventures of Pinocchio” from 1883 and the classic Disney movie “Pinocchio” from 1940, the story about the wooden doll continues to carry on all kinds of new interpretations. Famous directors such as Guillermo del Toro and Robert Zemeckis have also set their sights on their own cinematic versions of the story, which will be released in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Now, though, it’s the turn of director Matteo Garrone (“Tale of Tales”) to give us his Pinocchio film. The director has chosen to make a faithful adaptation of the original book. This is absolutely daring. It is nowadays a difficult task to convince people that the classic Disney movie is not the real version of the story. The locations in the film will surprise many. After all, Garrone’s ‘Pinocchio’ was filmed in Italy, with all its arid landscapes and old fishing villages included. For the viewer who is only familiar with the Disney film, this may take some getting used to at first. But don’t worry, this book adaptation has a lot to offer.

What seems to interest ‘Pinocchio’ the most, and where all the energy has obviously been put into it, are the fairytale creatures that inhabit this world. Matteo Garrone relies almost exclusively on practical effects and makeup here. All the quirky human-animal fusions (including a giant snail and a tuna with a human face) sparkle with creativity. Okay, there’s also something nightmarish about these creatures at times, but at the same time it’s hard not to be impressed by all the time that went into this. Our wooden title character, well portrayed by newcomer Federico Ielapi, also looks impressive. The boy had to undergo makeup on set for three hours every day for his role. That’s not nothing, but it certainly paid off.

In contrast to the beautifully designed world, there is also a central problem in Garrone’s ‘Pinocchio’. Once Pinocchio has left Geppetto in his studio and travels the wide world in search of adventure, the film often feels the need to repeat itself. Adventure follows adventure, without the film ever really addressing the specifics of the events. Now the original children’s book is a story that offers only limited suspense, but in a film of just over two hours this quickly becomes tiresome. The film is busily going through all the familiar experiences on Pinocchio’s journey, but during this rush doesn’t seem to notice that the adventures begin to lose effect as a result. This is a shame, because with a better adapted story, this dark fairytale could easily have become a modern classic. However, Garrone’s ambition is beyond question. He is a director who knows exactly what he wants. And that is noteworthy.