Il divo (2008)

Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino | 110 minutes | drama, biography | Actors: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Lorenzo Gioielli, Gianfelice Imparato, Massimo Popolizio, Aldo Ralli, Giovanni Vettorazino, Cristina Serafinizo

Politics a boring subject? Well no! Certainly not in Italy. Take Silvio Berlusconi, who flirts happily in front of his people with girls who could have been his granddaughter and trivializes a tent camp in a disaster area with a holiday campsite. In every other country people would have at least questioned his performance, but the Italians think it’s wonderful. Berlusconi is by no means the only Italian politician with a dubious reputation. Take Giulio Andreotti, the man who served in no fewer than 33 post-war governments and was Prime Minister seven times between 1972 and 1992. The unassailable Andreotti has been suspected for years of ties to the mafia, which had a firm grip on the reins in the same years. The politician has always denied that he had any ties to the Cosa Nostra, but had to answer many times in court. If it came to a conviction – as in 2002 when Andreotti was found guilty in the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli in 1979 and the then 83-year-old politician threatened to go to jail for 24 years – he was still acquitted on appeal.

This elusive and complex lust for power is the subject of Paolo Sorrentino’s 2008 semi-documentary ‘Il divo’, which follows Andreotti, played by Toni Servillo, during his seventh and final term as Prime Minister. The stocky politician was the center of power and had close ties to the underworld, the Vatican, the Red Brigades and the Freemasonry Lodge P2. During the same period, cracks appear in his inviolability when mafia regrets point the finger at him during interrogation. Always calm, composed and articulate, Andreotti denies having any contact with mob bosses Stefano Bondate, Tano Badalamenti and Totò Riina. Andreotti seems to be able to get away with anything. Director Sorrentino thinks so, and in his highly stylized film, he cites countless brilliantly portrayed assassinations and suicides as evidence of Andreotti’s involvement in all manner of dubious practices. A plethora of names, which you really don’t need to know all of them to understand that Andreotti is a man who is up to his ears in mafia and corruption.

As in his previous films, Sorrentino’s story is secondary to style. ‘Il divo’ does not have a narrative structure as you are used to, but plays with the camera and treats its viewers to countless visual tricks. It is regularly over the top, but that is a conscious choice of the director. He gives his story something theatrical and artificial and makes a great caricature not only of Andreotti but of the entire Italian politics. The countless characters also contribute to that characterization. And you really don’t need to know exactly what’s going on, Italian politics is far too complex for that. This film does not contribute to making the matter more comprehensible, although the introduction and explanation of a few crucial terms prior to the film will help you on your way. At times ‘Il divo’ looks very surreal, as if Sorrentino wants to emphasize what a puppet show politics really is. This unconventional approach will not be welcomed with open arms by everyone. For example, anyone hoping for a straightforward political biopic along the lines of Gus van Sants ‘Milk’ (2008) will be disappointed. Perhaps the ambiguous sphinx that Andreotti is does not even lend itself to that.

There will no doubt be people who see ‘Il divo’ as an unadulterated, pretentious style exercise, most likely because they can’t tie a rope to the story. You should absolutely not let that distract you. In this film, everything has a purpose and a function. The fact that the story is deliberately kept vague has to do with the elusiveness of the figure Andreotti, who is portrayed masterfully by Servillo. His neurotic behavior, his mannerisms and his way of talking – it’s all very deliberately heavy. The stylistic design is often breathtaking. Just take the sensational opening scene, in which we are immediately treated to a series of bloody murders, after which the faction surrounding Andreotti is introduced. Or the scene in the Italian parliament, in which the camera captures Andreotti as a silent center in an uncontrolled chaos of people. Visually, ‘Il divo’ is truly a feast for the eyes. Sorrentino uses images from the entire history of art and film (including the spaghetti western and Francis Ford Coppola). Don’t be surprised if you find references to Leonardo da Vinci and famous operas. The images are accompanied by a remarkable soundtrack, which alternates classic delights such as ‘Danse macabre’ by Camille Saint-Saëns and ‘Allegro’ by Antonio Vivaldi with the techno clients of Cassius and the enchanting ‘Nux Vomica’ by The Veils. A bizarre but effective mix.

Those who want to know more about Italian politics in the turbulent eighties and nineties will not be much wiser from ‘Il divo’. The emphasis is not on the narrative aspect. Paolo Sorrentino mainly uses dazzlingly beautiful images and gives his protagonist Toni Servillo plenty of room to flourish. Everything is over the top and stylized, but with a function. Sorrentino mocks the absurd struggle for power that has gripped Italy for decades in a subtle yet sublime way. It may not always be easy to follow, but a film like this doesn’t really ask for it. So don’t be distracted by the jumble of names, murders and dates, but let yourself be carried away by the overwhelming images that show themselves to you like a work of art. Leonardo da Vinci could not have painted the absurd chaos in Italian politics more beautifully.