SUDDENLY, LAST WINTER (Gustav Hofer, Luca Ragazzi, Italy). 80 minutes. Subtitled. Thursday (April 24), 9:30 pm, Cumberland Saturday (April 26), 4 pm, Isabel Bader. Rating: NNN
Directors Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi make a way cute couple as they follow Italy’s political machinations while the Senate deals with a bill giving civil rights to same-sex couples.
Not all of it works. Moments that could have created more tension are wasted, specifically an encounter with some mean right-wingers at a demo, and the queer movement is invisible until the last 15 minutes, making the narrative a little wonky.
But the fact that Hofer and Ragazzi don’t often agree on strategy adds to the fascination factor, and near po-mo scenes in which we learn that conversations have been staged are very smart.
If you think our MPs behave badly in Parliament, wait till you see the nutbars in the Italian Senate.
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