No. 85 (2021) THE TIES "Lacci" (Palace Italian Film Festival) OCT. 22nd.

 

Film No. 85 (2021)  October 24th.  3:10 PM   Cinema 1.  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"If you tell me the truth now, you'll save everyone's life".(Vanda lays it on the line to husband Aldo; He is either a husband and father to his family or he is becoming someone else).

The title LACCI (laces) is straight forward enough. It is interesting that the English translation is simply THE TIES. Given the themes of LACCI, THE TIES gives the film a greater dimension to the film's message, but based on all that these titles relate back to in the film, the title could easily have been LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. But it matters not, it did however make me wonder about the process of marketing an international film to an English speaking audience.

That said, LACCI is a fascinating film. The quality of its layered elements, (incorporating chapters via time skips) could have been complicated in certain hands, but not in this case. Directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviari have their audience completely in tune with where the story sits. There are "we've seen all this before" moments, but I was never hampered by this. The casting is spot-on. The cast is a who's who of Italian cinema. Alba Rohrwacher, Luigi Lo Cascio, Laura Morante and Silio Orlando playing the key roles of husband and wife Vanda and Aldo Prima in the two key eras (80's & now). 

We meet a seemingly happy family, until by scene 3 Vanda (Rohrwacher) has confronted Aldo and his infidelity is revealed. Most of the loving in the Prima family emanates through the children Anna (11YO) and Sandro (6YO). So we are often reminded of the residue that will remain with the children (close-ups) as time oscillates. One of the twists as the film concludes relates to forty-something Anna remembering her thoughts (as an 11 year old) as she looked from a car window at her father's new lover, Lidia.

Being in my early to mid sixties, I wonder if my interpretation of LACCI would be completely different if I had seen it in my 20's or 40's? KRAMER vs KRAMER, which I saw in my early twenties, was impactful. I hadn't experienced marriage or children, personally, to be moved more intimately. LACCI took me to places more familiar to my own experiences 40 Years on. Isn't that what film, strongly socially themed, should do? I think so, and while it's never heart-breaking it is invigorating with some clever twists along the way. 10GUMS.