User Reviews

Well-paced, well-acted film revolving around the hot topic of the plight of sub-Saharan African immigrants in Italy. The main character is a demure, long-haul truck driver making extra on the side by illegally transporting sub-Saharan migrants in his trailer. His somewhat intimidating, sleazy, mafioso-like boss unscrupulously exploits the economic potential of this unregulated trade of cheap labor by using his trucking company to transport them to whatever gray market demands them. In the worst case, however, and this is only insinuated in the film, healthy bodies are also highly profitable in a medical context, and few parties involved will complain about missing/sacrificed immigrants for the purpose. Riccardo, the protagonist, knows his place in the business as being nothing more than an errand boy, to borrow a phrase from Apocalypse Now, and he profitably, reluctantly follows through on his boss' instructions while taking envelopes of cash over dinners at a restaurant that his boss feels safe in, making little to no fuss in the process. This changes, however, when his precocious daughter, whom he tries to raise on his own after his recovering addict wife has been forced out of the picture, develops a strong bond with a teen African girl whom Riccardo brings into the household for a stated temporary period. The ex-wife, out of concern for the daughter's welfare and emotional state(and of course her own), manages to clean herself up and struggles, but ultimately manages, to restore a relationship with the defiant daughter. Riccardo succumbs despite objections, proving he's human after all, etc. They all move back in together, and make a serious effort at a semblance of a normal family. However, the restored rhythm of domestic life also brings into sharp contrast the inherent abnormalcy, and downright amorality, of Riccardo's work, symbolized by the presence of the African orphan, the elephant in the room. As a result, the disadvantaged, fish-out-of-water character, the helpless and probably illiterate African girl, who manages several words throughout the film, ends up serving as a (predictable) catalyst for the restored relationships among all the main players. This turn of heart in the protagonist, executed through this convenient plot device, would seem contrived if it wasn't for Riccardo's consistency at portraying a deeply flawed but ultimately well-meaning human being. He manages to keep his conscience at bay until circumstances dictate otherwise, and when push comes to shove is forced to acknowledge and act on the place his heart resides in. He's wise in understanding his disadvantages at home and at work and humbled as a result, but keen enough to finally understand that deep down, thanks to lessons learned from some testy interactions with the various females in his orbit, there are far more important things in life to mind beyond making money under the table: to redeem his failed family, by way of restoring the sparks between him and his troubled wife, and do what's best for his rebellious, permanently on-edge preteen daughter. And in the process, maybe explore the inherent altruism that loving relationships normally engender. The third act is handled somewhat heavy handedly and bluntly, in that the manner that his desperate situation resolves itself in takes the risk of forcing him into acts of extreme measures against powers that he has no business in undertaking, or succeeding in. This serves as the weakest part of the film. He takes a risk at saving the orphan African girl, but the act of redemption is also relieved by ending on an ambivalent note, saving the movie from succumbing to accusations regarding potential "bleeding-heart liberal" directors portraying stories where all's well that ends well if the main players save the disadvantaged migrant, or some child with an incurable illness, from the powers that be. Not an ambitious picture, but also not bad either, and with a strong lead performance by Giorgio Tirabassi. It generally succeeds in portraying a troubled family saved by being involved in a mission greater than the personal problems that plague them-the greater immigration issues provoking Italy and the rest of Europe at the moment. The film's heart is in the right place after all.