The movie starts off with a seemingly cookie-cutter story that follows the contours of a narrative we encounter (too often, unfortunately) in the news. This includes a very questionable police shooting, which is probably more relevant for the States than it is for Italy, but the director uses it to bring the idea of the movie in sharp relief. The characters' positions relative to the tragedy that unfolds fall quickly into "traditional" discourse patterns: liberal/conservative, sleazy lawyer/kind doctor. The director manages to make this part of the movie not as trite as it could have been, but nonetheless the character development is very "expected". We (the audience) nod our collective heads knowingly as the action unfolds...
Little do we (the audience) know that the first part of the movie is just scaffolding for what happens next. A second tragedy enters the story. This time it's not just a news story that our characters happen to be professionally involved with at arm's length. It's much closer. For the audience, the two tragedies may feel equally distant (and that's the genius of this movie!) but for our characters the second one is very personal. The choices these characters make are unexpected and thought provoking.
The movie becomes a dissertation about where we *really* stand when the rubber meets the road. Talk is cheap, putting your money where your mouth is turns out to be a whole lot harder. The movie contrasts an emotional response to the world around us to a cold and calculated one, and the conclusions may be anything but traditional.
Little do we (the audience) know that the first part of the movie is just scaffolding for what happens next. A second tragedy enters the story. This time it's not just a news story that our characters happen to be professionally involved with at arm's length. It's much closer. For the audience, the two tragedies may feel equally distant (and that's the genius of this movie!) but for our characters the second one is very personal. The choices these characters make are unexpected and thought provoking.
The movie becomes a dissertation about where we *really* stand when the rubber meets the road. Talk is cheap, putting your money where your mouth is turns out to be a whole lot harder. The movie contrasts an emotional response to the world around us to a cold and calculated one, and the conclusions may be anything but traditional.