Caesar Must Die – Cesare deve morire (2012)

Directed by: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani | 76 minutes | drama, documentary | Actors: Cosima Rega, Salvatore Striano, Giovanni Arcuri, Antonio Frasca, Juan Dario Bonetti, Vincenzo Gallo, Rosario Majorana, Francesco De Masi, Gennaro Solito, Vittorio Parrella, Pasquale Crapetti, Francesco Carusone, Fabio Rizzuto, Fabio Cavalli, Maurillio Giaffreda

‘Caesar Must Die’ (2012) was the surprise winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival; a choice that not everyone understood. The renowned German news magazine Der Spiegel called the choice of the jury chaired by Mike Leigh ‘a very conservative choice’ and the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel criticized the result, writing that ‘the jury has judged virtually all contemporary films, which were admired and discussed in a further quite remarkable festival, ignored’. The Hollywood Reporter spoke of a ‘major upset’. Proponents of ‘Caesar Must Die’ also has enough. The film, largely shot in black and white, in which real prisoners play the lead, mixes mild humor with emotional impact. In his acceptance speech in Berlin, director Paolo Taviani, who made the film with his brother Vittorio, expressed the hope that the film will also make the general public realize that even a prisoner with very serious crimes – including those who are incarcerated for life or even sentenced to death – and man is and remains. Vittorio honored the film’s protagonists by listing their names when receiving the Golden Bear.

Is it a documentary or fiction? The truth actually lies somewhere in the middle. The Taviani brothers follow a group of inmates at the infamous and high-security Rebibbia prison in Rome. The ‘actors’ we see come from the tough world of the mafiosi, drug dealers and murderers. Many of them will probably never be released. However, in ‘Caesar Must Die’ we see a completely different side of these men. The Tavianis follow them in the run-up to the performance of Shakespeare’s famous play, ‘Julius Caesar’. The preparations are coming to an end, the actors are welcomed with exuberant applause. But as soon as the lights go out and they leave the scene, they return to their cell. Back to reality. The acting brings light into their dark existence. Or, as one of them remarks: ‘Since I discovered art, this cell has really become a prison’. They play roles that are close to their own lives. After all, the play also concocts a plan in which Caesar must be overthrown. Acting therefore has a therapeutic effect: by playing a role that is close to their own ‘role’ in society, they learn to understand their own actions.

The Taviani brothers – both now over eighty – play with the thin line between fiction and reality and that is what makes ‘Caesar Must Die’ so intriguing. Most of the film is shot in black and white and edited casually, which gives you the constant feeling that you are watching a documentary. Thanks to little tricks, subtle winks and the use of stylistic devices, the Tavianis bring you back to reality – or in this case, a reality staged by themselves. Because the ‘actors’ are directed by directors who are put in the right place by the Taviani brothers. As a result, the film works on several levels. This makes you wonder if it wasn’t just staged. For example, if the actors lash out at each other because the tension is too high, you’re not sure whether this really happened or whether it was whispered to them by the Tavianis. Despite this – or perhaps because of it – ‘Caesar Must Die’, with its fascinating play between fiction and reality, is a unique viewing experience. Perhaps not the film with which the Italian brothers will win over the general public, because ‘Caesar Must Die’ is just a bit too experimental for that, but for film lovers who are up for a challenge, this is actually a ‘must see’.