My Brother is an Only Child (Mio fratello è figlio unico)
September 2008 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Perhaps the main point in this serio-comic movie is that blood is thicker than water and that warring brothers will stick up for each other in the end. That’s surely not a new theme, but it is handled with charm and persuasion in this appealing film, which is set in 1960s Italy. The country is poor and unrest seems to be the order of the day. Searching for guidance, young people are joining various parties that struggle for power. In this movie the younger of two brothers, Accio Benassi (Elio Germano), joins the fascist movement. He is the black sheep of the family -- a rebel who thinks he has a cause without actually knowing what it is a great deal of the time. He feels he is right and everyone else in his family is wrong. His older brother, Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio), a moody lover with matinee-idol looks and bedroom eyes, joins the Communists.

The boys have a sister and mother at home, and the father works at a local factory. The family lives in Latina, a model city on the edge of Rome planned by Mussolini. Its houses are falling apart, and though the residents are promised new housing, it never materializes. The struggle in the Benassi family to right themselves internally and externally encapsulates the struggle in Italy.

The story is based on a novel by Antonio Pennacchi. The screenplay was written by the director, Daniele Luchetti, along with Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli. All three are noted for their screenwriting skills, the latter two scripting the excellent The Best of Youth. Given their words and the incredible handheld-camera work, the superb cast really brings all of the film’s characters to life. One feels completely inserted into the family and its struggle. No one is identified as a villain; these are simply people who act in good conscience on what they believe, be it right or wrong in the long run. The characters are so vividly created that one remembers them long after the movie is finished.

The DVD looks quite handsome. Colors are rich and natural. Outdoor shots bring out highlights on hair, green fields, and the ocean. Dark scenes are well contrasted, and shadow detail is, for the most part, very good. There are a few night scenes in which detail seems a bit obscured, but these are few and the exception rather than the rule. The handheld-camera technique allows for more intimacy in telling the story. The sound is very good, rich and full, with excellent dialogue detail. Though there is almost always some ambient sound from the rear channels, it seems that it is there by accident rather than design. I found some barking dogs in one scene rather distracting. Another minor distraction: the subtitles are small, placed at the very bottom of the screen, and can be a chore to read at times.

What a shame that there are no extras here besides a trailer. With such excellent actors in front of the camera, and such an obviously gifted director behind it, one has a desire to know more about them and how they work. This movie received little publicity and not too much press when it came out last year. Let’s hope the DVD release receives better coverage. A movie of this quality certainly deserves attention.

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