“The Mixed Reception of Nanni Moretti’s Il sol dell’avvenire”

Nanni nostalgia. But only and only that, together with a little boredom and bewilderment. Even among the nostalgic. The sun of the future conquers a tiring podium on its first day of release. A third place with takings of less than 100 thousand euros (98 thousand 307 to be precise) which however sees Moretti’s feature film placed under another new entry, in second place, the horror film The house – The awakening of evil and above all still further below the unstoppable phenomenon that is the film-videogame Super Mario Bros. What’s more serious, however, is that, net of the too enthusiastic journalistic reviews, Il sol dell’avvenire does not convince, on the contrary it leaves the Even an important part of that old thrill-seeking red intelligentsia has a bitter taste in the mouth. Leaving the suspicion (however this really remains to be verified) that perhaps the sinister 2.0s who are a little neogruppettari, a little nerd, prefer to rinse themselves in the river of Morettian culture by downloading the film from some pirate site. But let’s hope not.

STILL AUTHENTIC
Out of the joke, however, what must be recognized to the director of Monteverde Vecchio is his authenticity. The film, in fact, is neither pimp nor wink. Moretti, on the contrary, shows himself to the public proposing, if anything, his worst profile, the most unfriendly, of which even the do-gooder Fabio Fazio surprisingly ended up the victim who, by hosting the director in the studio, wanted to do the usual paean-interview at the limit of adoration. While Nanni immediately underlined that even the protagonist of the film, this time, is more listening. And the tone seems nostalgic and resigned. «As long as we don’t talk about will films» he asks the conductor with a hint of a smile. The fact remains that the mix of intimism, pushed morettismo and nostalgia aimed at a recovery operation of the cultured and by now dated left, even in terms of age, gives the idea of ​​being able to hold little momentum at the box office, above all of not being able to withstand the weight entrusted to him by the usual Morettian arrogance of all time, who in the film becomes the author of a film born with the aim, among many others, of making fun of the platforms, Netflix in particular, and intended for real cinema, that of theaters. But they have to be filled. Impervious undertaking. And a waning third place from day one is not enough.
All this despite the huge distribution, which even reached provincial cinemas where committed films usually never arrive, and the ovation of essentially uncritical critics.

THE EXCEPTION
With the exception of the brilliant “companion” Marco Giusti who panned Moretti’s film from the impertinent rostrum of Dagospia, just like the old critics who at least wrote better: «Nanni Moretti’s sun of the future is not a masterpiece. And I’m sorry. He doesn’t make you cry or laugh. While almost all the exhilarating reviews I’ve read make us laugh and cry», notes Giusti who then resumes: «After fifteen minutes the unhealthy idea began to buzz in my mind that I was only seeing a more cultured and (unfortunately) post-communist version of the cinema of Pupi Avati. With a protagonist who, making a film every five years, ages much more than other actors of the same age. And this, alas, can be seen on the screen. And the only staging idea is to interrupt the action every five minutes and insert a song to sing in the car or in an important scene. You always have, haven’t you? Why do you want to do it again and again and again?” But obviously because it is really a (wanted) self-tribute. With all the Morettian trappings of the case. Including, of course, the next inevitable arrival at Cannes, where the film will be entitled Vers un avenir radieux. Well-wishing. And Nanni maybe, to look modern, will arrive on a scooter, you never know.