For young Accio, as for so many, it’s lust that steers him away from seminary. Mildly reprimanded for having been caught masturbating, he regards the episode not so much as a personal failing as a failure of the church to stamp out his desire. And so he searches for another ideology worthy of his allegiance, and finds…fascism. It is small-town Italy, nearly two decades after Il Duce’s fall, and this puts him at odds with his communist-leaning siblings and his working-class parents, who long for the new house the ruling party has promised to build them. Accio’s nickname means “bully,” but mostly he comes in for beatings at the hands of his older brother.
Skipping from 1962 to roughly a decade later, this adaptation of a novel follows Accio’s struggles with desire and ideology, which come into conflict when he meets his brother’s girlfriend. Part coming-of-age story, part dysfunctional family tale, it’s a colorful, nearly comic film quite different from Hollywood fare, but one that‘s nonetheless fairly accessible. It’s much more the story of a small-town family than a political movie—ideological differences aside, neither brother's politics appear too sophisticated. Yet the idea that such people even have political views would be unusual for an American film. The zigzagging plot’s conclusion is a reminder that it doesn’t always require sophistication to effect change.
IMDB link
viewed 5/14/08; reviewed 5/16/08
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