excellent

Bruno Bonomo (Silvio Orlando), a famous film producer in the 1970s, is about to produce a movie about Christopher Columbus, with the help of the RAI (Italian television network). After director Franco Caspio (Giuliano Montaldo) quits the project, Bonomo offers another screenplay, "Il Caimano", a screenplay, written by young director Teresa (Jasmine Trinca). Soon, Bruno discovers that the Caimano is none other than Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister and media tycoon – and a subject so controversial that even the public television refuses to produce it.
Meanwhile, Bonomo's private life collapses piece by piece; plans to separate from wife Paola (Margherita Buy) come to terms, and the bank is pressing him hard to pay back his debts.
Getting the Caimano movie filmed is the only thing that is keeping him alive and he intends to go through it, even if his main actor also leaves him.

If you are familiar with Moretti’s movies, this should come as no surprise. When Moretti decides to engage political issues in a movie, he does so completely. This film is a bitter and intense presentation of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s prime minister. Moretti shows Berlusconi as both a businessman and a politician, a man who claimed for years that he was providing the public what it wanted so much.
Moretti used some real footage of Berlusconi and the scenes shown were very useful in understanding the circumstances leading to the end of Berlusconi.

As for the actors, Moretti as Berlusconi is great; and Silvio Orlando is magnificent as the sad, unattractive producer. Montaldo is a surprise since he is a director himself! He is excellent as an actor.

Part divorce drama, part political satire and part film-within-a-film, IL CAIMANO is an excellent, but tough and thought-provoking movie.

A MUST to understand Italy.


9/10