Five Seconds Can Change a Life

TORONTO – Considering Clint Eastwood’s legacy starring in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, it wasn’t a surprise that his 2008 film Gran Torino landed with Italian audiences. Eastwood’s growly and reclusive Korean War Vet resonated – in particular – with filmgoers who grew up with parents or grandparents disaffected by the horrors of WWII. Now, Paolo Virzi’s Cinque Secondi is striking a similar chord with Italian audiences.

Still playing in Lazio and Tuscan theatres, the film premiered at this year’s Rome Film Festival and was picked up by the International Sales Company Playtime, a French outfit. Four-time David Di Donatello winner Valerio Mastrandrea plays Adriano, a retired and withdrawn lawyer on trial for the aggravated manslaughter of his 17-year-old daughter Elena. A grotesque accusation from his ex-wife, played by Ilaria Spada.

Adriano’s daughter is wheelchair-bound and suffers from ALS. Charged with negligence by his ex, because Elena was in his care during a misfortunate incident at a Lake, Adriano recedes further into solitude and grief. His wallowing is eventually interrupted by a group of youngsters, led by a Galatea Bellugi’s character Matilde, who intend to revive an abandoned neighbouring mansion.

“We shot it while two wars were going on, in an atmosphere of anger and exhaustion, yet the film speaks of possible alliances between classes and wounded people. It’s about a man who shuts himself off and a young woman who drags him back into life. Out of pain, something still grows”, says Virzi.

It’s a film whose story might even reflect the sometimes-fractured emotional balance of today’s Italians, coping with various economic and socio-political challenges – depending on who you ask. All while having the most aging population in Europe, with 24% of its population aged 65 or over. But at the core of the Italian mindset is a devotion to family ties. And intimate family stories like Cinque Secondi are always a hit at this time of the year.

The film’s Producers made the conscious decision to premiere at Rome’s Film Festival in October, explained Virzi. “Rome happens at the most commercial time of year, which gives a film real visibility in its home market”. Executives will often look to the October through March schedule to exploit the Christmas holiday season, which is usually inundated with “cinepanettoni”, aka Christmas comedies.

This season however, audiences are being treated to a Virzi masterclass in tender family fare, with a sprinkle of tragedy. If audiences can endure a lump in their throat during the film’s more distressing moments, they’ll most likely finish with a renewed desire to embrace the ones they love. A good mélanger for the holiday.

Images courtesy of Playtime (in the pic at the top, Valerio Mastrandrea and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi)