What distinguishes one family from another? Someone would reply: nothing, all families are basically normal; someone else would say: everything, every family has its own story. A film and a story that lead us to ask ourselves these questions and to ask ourselves: what is my family like? Here is our review and our goodies on the new film by Roberto Capucci – My brother, My sister.
The new family drama Netflix in collaboration with Mediaset, will be in cinemas starting from 8 October 2021. Let’s see among the protagonists Alessandro Preziosi who plays the loner Nikola And Claudia Pandolfi in the guise of the fragile Tesla; and yes, you got it right, the two brothers, pillars of this film, are called exactly like the famous inventor, Nikola Tesla, and this is only one of the peculiarities, among many, present in the feature film. As a debut, in the character of Sebastian, we see the young man Francesco Cavallo with a significant role, to play the sister Carolina it will be instead, Ludovica Martino we met in the film Under the sun in Riccione.
Plot, characters and themes
On the death of his father, Tesla He is his brother Nikola they find themselves, due to a singular succession agreement, having to live together for a year under the same roof, even though they have not seen each other for twenty years. Tesla is a divorced mother with two children, Carolina lover of fashion, with whom he has a conflict relationship, e Sebastian a very talented cellist suffering from high functioning schizophrenia, to which the woman has dedicated her life and an obsessive and suffocating protection. The difficult coexistence will trigger clashes and continuous squabbles between Nik and Tesla, two brothers at the antipodes, and the birth of an unexpected strong bond between Nik and his nephew Sebastiano. Over time everyone will gradually find a balance, until a series of events lead the characters to have to deal with their fears and secrets, in a difficult journey towards forgiveness and acceptance of themselves and their emotional ties. and family members.
Roberto Capucci, director who has directed this film with great passion, and who has contributed together with Paola Mammini to write the screenplay, he explained during the press conference that the drama is not simply the story of two brothers who meet again after twenty years trying to resolve their grievances, but rather the story of a family that must, first of all, face the illness of the schizophrenic son / brother, helping him in the most appropriate way, thus telling us how this illness tells me so deeply in the soul of a mother – or a sister – making her a schizophrenogenic family.
Capucci also told us how he wanted to tackle this strong issue that affects many Italian families, trying to represent it in the most authentic way possible. Just think about that 245,000 people are affected by this disorder in our country. That’s why, instead of wanting to tell the usual story of a boy with “hallucinations and delusions”, we are offered a completely different point of view: that of the family.
The cast collected testimonials in specific centers that psychologically support families who have a member with psychiatric disorders; speaking with mothers, fathers and brothers who live this difficulty in everyday life. Claudia Pandolfi he told us what it felt like listening to the difficult experiences of these mothers who are in the same situation as Tesla: “In some ways they tortured me, in others they made me realize how lucky I am, it was a very important human mechanism.”
Francesco Cavallo speaking of the work on the character made together with the director, he explained to us how he did not want to resurrect a character he had already seen, thus creating him from nothing, from the “sensations” that this disease possesses: “This choice gave us the opportunity to be as creative as possible in constructing the character of Sebastiano, to invent his troubles and to have a relationship with his mother that was his and not someone else’s that we may have already seen.”
The journey that these protagonists face individually will lead them to accept themselves and forgive their loved ones, a journey that Alessandro Preziosi (Nikola) he did the opposite, precisely because his character constantly escapes the pain and empathy he might feel in others: “I’m not a person who sympathizes, the way I reacted with Sebastiano was a distance strategy”.
Curiosities and stylistic choices
A truly united cast leads the viewer to believe in what happens scene by scene, photography and shots drag into the everyday life of the characters and settings, the well-developed plot and well-written dialogues make everything quite smooth. Alessandro Preziosi begins with a very intense and well-interpreted monologue, explaining immediately what kind of character he brings with him, interesting the way he plays the role of Nikola the kitesurfer, showing us an Alexander never seen before. The opening scene immediately explains the general theme in which we will be transported, Francesco Cavallo (Sebastiano) tells a complicated character, manages the interpretation well without taking it too far, allowing the viewer to empathize with him.
Convincing the character of Tesla (Claudia Pandolfi) who could very well have played the role without lines, everything about her spoke: her body, her eyes, her thoughts; slightly annoying, towards the end, the pronunciation of the lines, almost voiceless, which diverted attention from the scene. Stella Egypt (Emma) confusing, and not a little, we find it in some scenes very intense and truthful, while in others off-axis, sometimes dragging with it Carolina (Ludovica Martino) in some passing scenes; Ludovica manages her character well, shining in several tapes. The dramatic moments are very intense, however, in which the climax is interrupted in advance, the viewer enters the drama but does not have the time to understand it since it is immediately cut to continue with the next scene, which is disturbing, like Sebastiano’s tape. and Nikola in which they play together cello and piano: it arrives, you start to be moved and it goes away. The ending is a bit obvious, but it still fits well, leaving the viewer with a smile on his face.