Baciami ancora (2010)

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino | 140 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Adriano Giannini, Stefano Accorsi, Claudio Santamaria, Vittoria Puccini, Giorgio Pasotti, Sabrina Impacciatore, Primo Reggiani, Marco Cocci, Lina Bernardi, Daniela Piazza, Alexia Murray, Sara Girolami, Andrea Calligarita , Nick Nicolosic

With the 2001 ‘L’ultimo bacio’ (‘The Last Kiss’), director Gabriele Muccino showed that, in addition to the art-house film, Italian public drama also deserves a place abroad. At first sight the average story of a man who is not yet ready for fatherhood is transformed by an intelligent approach (characters of friends as sounding board for his own problems), an internationally active ensemble of actors (including Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Stefania Sandrelli, Stefano Accorsi) and surprising twists lifted above average. With ‘Baciami ancora’ (‘Kiss Me Again’) Muccino continues on the chosen path – ten years later. The soapy elements and Mediterranean emotions have remained, as Muccino describes it ‘like seeing old friends again’ and – let’s just admit it – we’re also in the target audience of this film.

Muccino shows us the Italian late thirties in 2010. Carlo (Accorsi) has become a successful advertising executive who, after his divorce from Giulia (Puccini), once again has doubts about life choices, and we also see Adriano (Pasotti), who has been released from prison (cocaine smuggling). the traditional macho Marco (Favino; ‘Cosa voglio di più’) and the bipolar Paolo (Santamaria), who still lives with his mother. A group of friends that is remarkable to say the least, in which we cannot wrestle ourselves from the idea that Italian stereotypes are mixed up a bit too simply with modern problems.

The women balance things out. Such as the feisty Livia (Impacciatore), who must combine her relationship with Paolo with the return of Adriano – with whom she has a son; Marco’s Veronica (Piazza) gives in a little too easily to artist Lorenzo (Reggiani), but Muccino also demands a fast pace from his actors, who are not always generous in playing time – including Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in a small supporting role.

Things are going better in that respect Puccini, who turns out to be a good replacement for the now celebrated Mezzogiorno (‘Vincere’); with the solid Accorsi she forms a credible ex-couple that cannot let go of each other for a whole film – chemistry abounds. Pathos clouds over the screen at the end and you wonder what that acceleration is needed after two hours of contemplative drama. Of course: it should not go too deep and there should be room for a positive ending, but either you choose to let the characters of this open-ended ensemble piece loose in the chaotic reality, or you edit the film to the unadulterated romantic drama it can be. Having said that, we can only say that we enjoyed ourselves for nine quarters of an hour with the involvements of Italians in crisi di mezza età. And if you were not allowed to belong to this target group: it is never too early or too late for a midlife crisis.