Italian participation in the 2018 European Film Festival
Screening dates for the Italian film ‘Perfetti Sconosciuti’ (Perfect Strangers): 24.5.2018 (121.00 – Alchemist) and 26.5.2018 (17.00 – Kenya National Theatre, by invitation only)Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) is a 2016 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Paolo Genovese. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning the David di Donatello in the Best Film Category.
Synopsis : Seven long-time friends (three married couples and a divorcee) are having a dinner. They decide, as a playful game, to put each one’s mobile phone on the table and reveal every text message or phone call they would receive that evening, to prove that nobody has anything to hide. Hilarity and drama ensue together as everyone’s secrets are unveiled and the seven friends find themselves perfect strangers to each other.
This looks at first like a Bergman-style analysis of relationships, the characters forced claustrophobically together until the truth is out. But it belongs in a stream of Italian films that seem to apologise for questioning traditional concepts of marriage, gender, sexuality and family. The screenplay dodges direct accusation by giving equal time and space to all of the characters, and placing them more or less symmetrically. It is an intellectual exercise, good to look at, with clever twists, like a competent, allegorical painting.
Genre: comedy/drama
Duration: 97’
Language: Italian
Subtitles: English