A film review: "Nessuno si salva da solo" [2015, Italy]

Sergio Castellitto partners once again with his writer-wife Margaret Mazzantani to create an evocative portrait of modern marriage in his latest drama, "Nessuno si salva da solo" [Eng. Trans: You Can't Save Yourself Alone].











Estranged couple Gaetano (Ricardo Scamarcio) and Delia (Jasmine Trinca) meet up at a restaurant to decide how to share the children's summer holidays. Their 'civil' exchange of pleasantries nevertheless barely conceal mutual resentment and anger, borne through frustration and the obvious love they still feel for each other.

What starts off as a potential mud-slinging match is quickly diverted thanks to their random trips down memory lane, and the mostly good things that they shared between them over the years. We see them when they first met, at a clinic where Delia, a nutritionist, diagnoses Gaetano. She's taken aback by the gumption with which he asks her for a kiss straight after just making fun of her teeth. "Of course, you cannot", she says, but before long they find themselves making passionate love after closing time.

So begins Delia and Gaetano's stormy odyssey through love, marriage, parenthood, heartbreak, and break-up. Their twelve year journey, shown through a series of montages, is as much about their individual failings as a sign of the self-centred society that they live in, inspired by fashionable cliché and convention.

Watching their animated exchanges a few tables away are a smooching elderly couple (Roberto Vechhioni and the inimitable Ángela Molina). Later, they briefly join Delia and Gaetano for a stroll down the streets of Rome recounting their own affair, with the hope of witnessing a miracle that evening...

Miracles don't always happen, but the film's beautifully shot closing sequence will nevertheless linger in your memory long after the end credits start rolling. Make no mistake - this is as mainstream a film as you can expect, but it is made special, thanks to the organic character development and an intelligently original script. Castellitto creates his own magic in the way he brings out the explosive chemistry between his protagonists that even a cynic would find it hard not to root for the couple to get back together. The actors - both Riccardo Scamarcio and the talented and beautiful Jasmine Trinca, shine in the hands of this able director who has a keen eye for blocking and timing his scenes. The soundtrack complements the film's message and tone, and the other technical aspects are clean and professional. This sentimental but amiable film will be ideal for couples to enjoy, and is Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL] | G-Translated English Subtitles

 

The Nudity: Jasmine Trinca, Ricardo Scamarcio, and Marina Rocco
Ms. Trinca appears either nude or bottomless in at least four scenes. Some happen to be passionate lovemaking scenes alongside Ricardo Scamarcio. There's also a scene where Gaetono interrupts Delia while breastfeeding and demands a bit of 'bitti' for himself. :-) Marina Rocco, as Gaetano's lover, appears partially nude in a couple of scenes.



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Well known Italian actress Valeria Golino makes an assured directorial début through her slick and stylish drama "Miele" [Eng. Title: Honey]. Co-produced by her partner and actor Riccardo Scamarcio, the film looks at the controversial topic of euthanasia and the moral dilemma it could pose.

Thirty year old Irene (Jasmine Trinca) leads a double life - to her father and friends, she's a fun-loving young woman working on a post-graduate thesis, but to her clients, she's known by the name of Miele (aka Honey) - the angel of mercy who helps to permanently alleviate suffering in the terminally ill. Through her frequent jaunts to Mexico via USA, high-flying Miele procures over-the-counter veterinary barbiturates to run her profitable enterprise, aided by leads generated through a male nurse-friend at a hospital. Professional in her dealings and following her own strict code of ethics, she will clinically supervise her clients' assisted suicide - they'll have to do the deed either on their own or with help from a family member, only after being assured of the incurable nature of their illness, and having duly signed the legal disclaimers. But Miele's motivation is nevertheless largely driven by a personal childhood trauma.

Miele will be forced to confront a moral dilemma when one of her clients, a retired architect named Carlo Grimaldi (Carlo Cecchi), turns out to be in fine health - he's just fed up with life and wants to end it all, and demands the same rights she accords to a sick person. Miele refuses to carry forward his request, but Grimaldi, already supplied with the necessary drug, refuses to return it back. In the process of trying to retrieve it from him, a platonic relationship develops between the two, which will draw Irene out of her comfort zone, posing questions about her own life and the validity of her clandestine crusade.

Despite the strong cast and crew, two factors make the film what it is - Valeria Golino and Jasmine Trinca, as director and star respectively. It would be hard to tell that this film was made by a début director without formal training in film-making. The mature script, devoid of cliché (written by Ms. Golino, Francesca Marciano, and Valia Santella, based on Mauro Covacich's novel), and the cinematic flair it brandishes wouldn't go unnoticed by the viewer. Golino certainly has the eye of an auteur, but in her first outing has also mixed in some mainstream elements that doesn't quite work, but I guess she knows this already. Jasmine Trinca keeps us transfixed to the screen almost single handedly through the subtle nuances and attitude she displays in her character Irene - a refreshingly atypical characterisation that's rare to see these days. Together, Golino and Trinca present a film full of intensity and heart, which makes it Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Jasmine Trinca
A memorable performance from the lovely Jasmine Trinca also contains three scenes in which she's featured in the nude. The first one is the longest, when her character is with a boyfriend in a caravan.



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Jasmine Trinca in "Il Grande Sogno" [2009 Italy]

Michele Placido is a fine actor and also a pretty good director. He made the semi-autobiographical drama, "Il Grande Sogno" [Eng. Title: The Big Dream] recounting his early years as a young police officer in 1968 Milan amidst momentous world happenings.

Storyline:
Nicola (Placido's alter ego), a fresh police officer from a poor background in southern Italy is assigned to infiltrate a left-wing student group from a privileged background in Milan to thwart unrest, and begins to question the state's rationale. In the process he falls in love with Laura, one of the students from the group. He also joins a drama school to pursue his passion. But when his police identity is discovered, he becomes an object of hatred among the student group - and his good intentions go unacknowledged.

It had the potential to have been a memorable film - promising young actors, interesting storyline, pretty good cinematography, and a decent soundtrack too. What lets it down is the screenplay and characterisation - they loose focus pretty quickly, what we see are scattered images from an era that not only looks manufactured, but also devoid of purpose - and the film meanders aimlessly. While some of the cast give a pretty good account of themselves, notably the actress playing Laura, Jasmine Trinca,  the protagonist's love interest, the rest are less than memorable - they possibly had very little to work with.




Compilation: Jasmine Trinca and Laura Morante
Some scenes have no nudity, but they're still worth checking out...



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - Laura is not too keen to entertain her fiancé - she's got revolution on her mind. Bespectacled Laura is played by the engaging actress Jasmine Trinca.
• Laura looses her virginity to our hero Nicola, in the middle of a police raid..!
• No nudity again, but interesting nevertheless as Nicola's lecturer Maddalena gives him a private masterclass in acting (and slutty behaviour) as she takes him under her wing. Maddalena is played by the sexy as ever Laura Morante.
• Laura's initiation with Nicola was apparently an aberration - the one she always fancied was Libero, the leader of her group. She manages to bed him.
• But things change quickly when Laura takes Nicola again in Libero's absence - this time at the group's headquarters itself. Out of the blue we see a very different Laura - who doesn't mind walking around naked among her 'comrades' - she also declares to Nicola her love in this bizarre but awesome scene. The talented Ms. Trinca is definitely a delight to behold in the nude..!

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