Tweet

Part black comedy and part character study, The Family Friend confirms Paolo Sorrentino (The Consequences of Love) as one of Europe’s most interesting directors.

Geremia (Rizzo) doesn’t like to think of himself as a sleazy loan shark. Instead, he pretends that he’s a ‘family friend’ to his unfortunate customers. This grotesque mama’s boy has no real friends, of course, so when he finds himself in love with the daughter of one of his patrons he discovers a new and disturbing vulnerability within himself. As the film progresses, Sorrentino peels away the layers around this horrible walking pestilence, obliging us to understand him, even if we can never like him.

Sorrentino displays real confidence here. He invokes the great Italian masters like Fellini but he is never in awe of his influences: rather, he is continuing the tradition that they established. There is a bit of a hiccup in the final reel which prevents the film achieving true excellence. Still, this is nearly the best Italian film for many years – a brilliant, baroque morality play.

 

James Oliver on 12th July 2007
View all 116 of James Oliver's reviews