I have been urged by a friend to go and watch this "masterpiece" - his expression - and rarely I have received such a sound advice.
"L'uomo che verrà" is a compelling tale, one bathed in the memories of many people who still remember the horrors of WWII through family stories. It is also a neorealist work of art, delicately balanced between the crudity of war and the simple life of peasants, ordered by the rhythm of the seasons and their deep Catholic faith. The arrival of war in their life is at first slow, but it accelerates towards the tragical end. The massacre of Marzabotto (as it is still known) is one of the tragedies of Italian war: here it is told through the point of view of a small girl, who is able to save her newborn brother (the man who will come, as the title says, pointing to future generations). The way she looks at the tragedy unfolding before her eyes becomes our point of view: the same happens with the others. Diritti knows how to tell the history of the massacre without letting us feel righteous: compassion for the victims comes first.
It is a work of love, which excels for lyrical realism and historical balance. I recommend it to anyone who wants to keep remembering what has been done in the name of hate.
"L'uomo che verrà" is a compelling tale, one bathed in the memories of many people who still remember the horrors of WWII through family stories. It is also a neorealist work of art, delicately balanced between the crudity of war and the simple life of peasants, ordered by the rhythm of the seasons and their deep Catholic faith. The arrival of war in their life is at first slow, but it accelerates towards the tragical end. The massacre of Marzabotto (as it is still known) is one of the tragedies of Italian war: here it is told through the point of view of a small girl, who is able to save her newborn brother (the man who will come, as the title says, pointing to future generations). The way she looks at the tragedy unfolding before her eyes becomes our point of view: the same happens with the others. Diritti knows how to tell the history of the massacre without letting us feel righteous: compassion for the victims comes first.
It is a work of love, which excels for lyrical realism and historical balance. I recommend it to anyone who wants to keep remembering what has been done in the name of hate.