The Italians know how to throw a party, and the Opening Night Gala of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival at the Barracks Cinema was no exception.
Fans of Italian film lined up for a red carpet arrival with long stemmed roses and bubbly handed to guests on the runway. And then it was into the darkness to see this year’s opener: Paolo Genovese’s comedy smash hit 'Perfect Strangers' which became a national phenomenon when it was released earlier this year.
Named Best Film at the Donatellos, (the Italian Oscars), 'Perfect Strangers' is a hilarious gasp-out-loud dramedy built around mobile phones and the secrets they hold.
Eva and Rocco, a 30-something couple, are hosting a dinner party for five close friends (two couples and a bachelor) to celebrate and watch an eclipse of the moon. To ensure their evening isn’t interrupted they agree that no private calling or messaging is allowed. In a fit of ‘we have nothing to hide’ bravado, Eva suggests they play a party game: everyone is to put their cell phones on the table, and every incoming text, email or call will be shared with the whole party (letting a caller know they’re on speaker is considered cheating).
No one is exactly thrilled with the idea, but to refuse would be tantamount to admitting they had something to hide, so they agree, albeit reluctantly. The first message that arrives is a prank from Rocco but as the evening progresses, uncomfortable truths get revealed: Eva is having her breasts done, Carlotta wants to put her mother-in-law in a retirement home and Beppe, who’s arrived without the new girlfriend that everyone wants to meet, is cruelly exposed.
As the evening unfolds, the damage continues to mount with secret projects, unspoken liaisons and online hook-ups revealed. Genovese handles these disrupted relationships with skill, and despite their closeness, the friends and their respective partners soon realize they know very little about each other.
'Perfect Strangers' is a deliciously uncomfortable film that will have you searching your phone for hidden secrets that may be stored in the device we keep close to our heart. While the story is simple, it is right on the money, capturing the zeitgeist of the mobile generation.
It would be so easy to give all the credit to the director and cast, but the real brilliance lies with the script – proving that having five writers on board can do wonders for a film.
★★★★☆ ½.
