'Nostalgia' review: An intriguing character study of a man haunted by his past

Updated On: 09 December, 2023 11:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Johnson Thomas

`Nostalgia` movie review: Martone’s film does well to give us a visual sense of walking down memory lane but the rather under-cooked scripting doesn’t offer much hope for it to be altogether worthwhile

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Still from Nostalgia

Film: Nostalgia (Italian/English Subtitles)
Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Francesco Di Leva, Tommaso Ragno, Aurora Quattrocchi, Sofia Essaïdi
Director: Mario Martone
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 117 mins

‘Nostalgia, ’ Italy’s entry for the Oscar’s, is based on the novel by Ermanno Rea, and is a captivating character study of a man haunted by his past trying to find closure. Persuaded by his wife Arlette (Sofia Essaïdi), Felice Lasco (Pierfrancesco Favino) a resident of Cairo and a converted Muslim, returns to Naples after 40 years - ostensibly to visit his age-affected mother, Teresa (Aurora Quattrocchi), and to reconnect with his past. But the predominantly Catholic Naples he stealthily left behind at age 15, doesn’t seem the same even if it looks the same. His nearly blind mother now lives in a dingy basement apartment after being swindled out of their much more spacious upstairs one. The streets are riven with biker gangs firing into the air at will and violence seems to have become routine. The biggest change he finds himself confronting is that of his best friend Oreste Spasiano (Tommaso Ragno), who is now a dangerous crime boss. Felice is unable to reconcile himself to that change and wants to rekindle the close brotherhood he and Oreste experienced in their youth.

The screenplay by writer/director Mario Martone and co-writer Ippolita Di Majo focuses on the man who`s trying to make sense of his past. Felice experiences alienation even as he strives to stay connected. He re-engages with the old haunts of his past but finds that most places and people are unfamiliar to him. Given that an angry and violent criminal fraternity led by Oreste holds sway over the place, is it safe for him to try and reconcile with his erstwhile friend? The Catholic priest Don Luigi(Francesco Di Leva), who is leading the reformation war against the Camorra, and its boss `O malommo` (the bad man), warns him that his staying back is a folly and so does his mother’s old admirer, Raffaele (Nello Mascia). But Felice is determined to try his luck.

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