An Italian Lens on Elon
TORONTO – A controversial new film about Elon Musk is making its theatrical debut in Italy this week and sparking debate across the country. Directed by Italian filmmaker Andreas Pichler, Elon Musk Unveiled: The Tesla Experiment plays out like a tense corporate thriller. The film weaves together a forensic reconstruction of a fatal Tesla autopilot crash in Florida alongside archival footage from a personal interview Pichler conducted with Musk back in 2012.
Even though it tackles an American tech billionaire, the movie was funded by the Südtirol regional film commission and expertly pieced together by Italian editors Beatrice Segolini and Nicolas Nørgaard Staffolani.
The documentary completely bypasses the usual Silicon Valley hype. Instead, it uses a massive 100-gigabyte whistleblower leak to argue that Tesla knowingly put dangerous, unfinished Autopilot software on public roads, recklessly turning everyday drivers into corporate beta testers.
Reflecting on his shift in perspective regarding the billionaire over the years, director Andreas Pichler remarked, “In 2012, Musk was perceived as an inspiring young pioneer…my view has since changed, with the feeling that technology has become an end in itself and that Tesla drivers are partly beta testers”.
The movie is hitting local cinemas at a time when Italians seem split over Musk. On one side, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is openly cozying up to him, strategically using their high-profile friendship to bring massive tech investments to Italy.
The government is currently pushing for a €1.5 billion secure satellite communications contract with Musk’s Starlink, hoping to inject a total of €7.3 billion of private capital into the local economy. Meloni has even fiercely defended the alliance in parliament, championing Musk as a unique genius who can help jumpstart national infrastructure.
But a huge chunk of the Italian public and media isn’t buying it. For many everyday Italians, the biggest hurdle is that they simply cannot get past Musk’s loud, aggressive financial and political backing of Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, the Italian Left has effectively transferred all its anti-Trump anxiety onto Musk.
Critics are loudly warning that handing over Italy’s military-grade data and communications to a foreign billionaire is a massive risk to national sovereignty. For moviegoers with a mind for history, this debate might trigger a comparison to Ancient Rome.
People who view Musk favourably might think he is a modern Appius Claudius Caecus, the visionary who ignored a stubborn Senate to build Rome’s first major super-highway, the Via Appia – which revolutionized connectivity in the ancient world.
On the contrary, his critics might see him as Marcus Licinius Crassus, Rome’s ultimate tycoon who built a private fire brigade monopoly, bought off politicians, and used his insane wealth to bypass the rules of the state.
In the end, an Italian lens is proving to be an interesting choice to dissect the tech titan. Surely a culture raised on the history of ancient emperors is uniquely qualified to examine the rulers of our digital future.
Image courtesy of Beetz Brothers Film Production
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
