My Brother Is an Only Child - Region 1 DVD

Yet blood is thicker than water, politics, and just about everything else, especially in Italy. The family becomes a crucible when Accio becomes enamored with the neo-Fascists, while Manrico becomes a leader in the local Communist Party. It's a brave director (and actor) who can play Fascism for laughs, and both Luchetti and Germano manage to pull it off, though the viewer will be squirming at young Accio's pontifications and salutes to Mussolini. "A Fascist in the family is always handy," he deadpans during one jackbooted brawl attended by Manrico's commie pals. There's a sense of foreboding through the slapstick, and hearts are broken along the way. But My Brother is an Only Child provokes both thought and emotion, crystallizing both a key moment in Italian cultural history, and the ancient truth of brotherly connection.--A.T. Hurley