anni Moretti’s version of Fellini’s “Roma,” though he widens the lens. Three skits bring together all that’s trenchant and whiny about Italy’s favorite leftist filmmaker. There’s a Vespa homage to Pasolini with Jennifer Beals along the way (and Keith Jarrett’s throbbing piano); a charming foray to the Aolians in which “The Bold and the Beautiful” plays a key role; finally, Moretti rants on about doctors (he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma). Warts aside, this is an irresistible Rome (and Italy) movie because all the political slings and arrows illustrate a typical Italian paradox: cynical optimism.
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About the Author: Marcia Yarrow
A military brat, Marcia Yarrow was born in Hamburg, Germany but grew up in Germany, Spain, and Provo, Utah. She's been writing for the magazine since its creation in 2004.