Marco (Giorgio Pasotti), a personnel manager at a multinational firm, will face the challenge of his career when management assigns him the task of reducing staff numbers at his office by twenty five in less than two months. He'll be rewarded if he succeeds, with a big bonus, company benefits, and a higher salary. But he'll be shown the door if he falls short. This may not be such a big deal in the UK or the US, but issuing redundancy notices is not that easy in Italy. The only way for Marco to meet the target, given the deadline, is to somehow persuade staff to resign voluntarily and accept the package offered. The task is made more complicated when he learns that the present severance package is much less that what was offered earlier.
A hitherto popular Marco will inadvertently cause resentment and deflate staff morale. Immersed in work, his personal life suffers too, due to the reluctance to take his almost-casual relationship with Laura (Cristiana Capotondi) to the next level. As the deadline approaches, Marco is made acutely aware of the limits to his persuasive powers, and realises that meeting the target will be an uphill task unless he's prepared, in his dealings, to step over the proverbial red line...
The film aspires to the ideals of commedia all'italiana, but the tone is unfortunately a bit flat and rather commercial. Yet it vaguely relates to the present state of the economy in Europe. It may have its little flaws, but is not unbearable to watch either.
DVD Link [PAL]
The Nudity: Cristiana Capotondi, Giorgio Pasotti, and Faju
The brief nudity that occur during and after the sex scenes - necessary to make a connection with the film's title, perhaps could have been shot more imaginatively. The first is during Marco's hurried session with Laura. In a later scene, Laura discovers him continuing his work in the bathroom (almost misleading the viewer). Marco also has a fling with Angelique (Faju), an African dancer at a nightclub, that culminates in sex.
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