Paolo Sorrentino has rediscovered his voice with La Grazia, a wintry, elegant film that marks a welcome return to his natural style after the disappointing Parthenope. The director reunites with his male muse Toni Servillo, who plays Mariano, the president of Italy, nearing the end of his term. The film is a dry comedy of grief and regret, exploring themes of political power and personal despair.
Servillo's Mariano is a widower and former judge, admired for his rectitude but haunted by a 40-year-old suspicion of his late wife's infidelity. As he prepares to leave office, he must decide on a euthanasia bill and pardons for two convicted killers. His only pleasures are listening to rap music and smoking forbidden cigarettes with his bodyguard.
The film features surreal set pieces, including a scene at La Scala where a tuxedoed audience member thanks Mariano for thwarting an extremist candidate, and a reception where the Portuguese president struggles to walk across a rain-swept red carpet. Sorrentino's signature electro-pop soundtrack and meditations on Rome's history add to the film's ruminative tone.
While La Grazia may not fully deliver on its ambitions, it intrigues and exhilarates, showcasing Sorrentino as Italian cinema's heir to Antonioni. The film concludes on a note of euphoric sentimentality, reaffirming the director's flair for the surreal and the sensational.
