Claudio is a blue-collar builder, almost blissfully happy with his ordinary family life, with his wife and two children. Then, tragedy strikes and Claudio sets off on an obsessive quest to become rich and successful by taking on an almost impossible-to-complete contract to construct an apartment block in record time. Claudio uses all his own, his friend’s and his family’s resources to try and succeed, while in fact coming closer and closer to disaster and ruin. Anchored by an intense and very impressive performance by Elio Germano as Claudio, Our Life is a gritty, yet warm and human story. Almost like an Italian Ken Loach, director Daniele Luchetti depicts authentically working class life in Italy and the struggles of one man to rise above the corruption and compromises that beset him. Following on from Luchetti’s acclaimed previous film My Brother is an Only Child this is another arresting film; powerfully emotive, cinematic and satisfying. —BFI
Daniele Luchetti (born 25 July 1960) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor. He was born in Rome. He debuted as assistant director for Nanni Moretti in Bianca (1983) and La messa è finita (1985). Luchetti’s first film as director was Domani accadrà of 1988, which won a David di Donatello as best debuting film and received a mention in the 1988 Cannes Film Festival.
His subsequent work was the successful Il portaborse (1991), featuring Silvio Orlando as the ghost-writer of a ruthless politician, played by Nanni Moretti. It was seen as a forecast of the Mani Pulite corruption scandal that struck Italy the following year. The film won four David di Donatello awards. Luchetti’s theatre spectacle Sottobanco, inspired to Domenico Starnone’s works, was later turned into a feature film entitled La scuola (“The School”, 1995).
His most recent films are Mio fratello è figlio unico (2006), and La nostra vita (2010), which is scheduled to compete for the Palme d’Or at… read more
I really enjoyed this film - a powerful performance by Elio Germano. Hopefully it will get UK distribution...
Fantastic. "Surreal," says Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He's just won the Palme d'Or for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Grand
"One of the most purely baffling entries in this year's Competition, Daniele Luchetti's would-be melodrama sets up all the ingredients
Há uma série de acertos neste filme de Daniele Luchetti, do bom Meu Irmão é Filho Único. Ele explora um melodrama familiar, mas filma a história com câmera realista, criando uma dualidade curiosa entre… read review