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Flicks: My Brother Is An Only Child My Brother is an Only Child is a gutsy and heartfelt portrait of a difficult time. by Chris Dashiell- The Film Snob My Brother is an Only Child. That's the intriguing title of a film from Italy directed by Daniele Luchetti. It's about a family in a small town in the 1960s and 1970s, with the conflict and rivalry between two brothers symbolizing the political divisions in Italy during that period. The older brother, Manrico, played by Riccardo Scamarcio, is very handsome and popular with women, and he's also a committed member of the Communist movement. The younger one, Accio, is lost in the shadow of his charismatic brother. He's a mercurial character: moody, changeable, defiant, and sometimes obnoxious. First he goes to seminary to be a priest, but he's not cut out for that. Then an older neighbor introduces him to fascist ideas and he ends up joining the neofascist party, which of course puts him at complete odds with his brother and the rest of his family. At the same time he finds himself attracted to one of his brother's girlfriends, Francesca, which of course only increases the tension.

The story is based on a novel by Antonio Pennacchi, and what makes it interesting is that it's the younger brother, the fascist, who is the main character. It's remarkable how the film can focus on this very difficult person, who does some hateful things, and yet we still sympathize with him and gradually come to understand him. And the main reason this works is because of the wonderful actor who plays him, Elio Germano. It's a performance of great vitality, containing innocence, aggression, humor, and a kind of sad resignation as well. He resembles the young Robert De Niro in some ways, and you can actually watch him grow within the character. There's also very fine work from Angela Finocchiaro as the tough family matriarch.

The style of the picture, in keeping with these family saga-type films, is rather old-fashioned and romantic. It's a film about working class people, and it has broad gestures and emotions. Luchetti is good at showing both the appeal and the repulsiveness of the fascist groups, and he also takes some satiric swipes at the Communist side. It's interesting how the immaturity of family dynamics gets played out in the political realm, and the picture has a good feel for the messy realities of lower class Italian life. It's an episodic movie, and sometimes this has its drawbacks, but the lead performance from Germano really pulls everything together. My Brother is an Only Child is a gutsy and heartfelt portrait of a difficult time.