Three Italian Movies About Human Relationships That You Might Find Interesting

I do not go to the cinema often, I have to confess.

I am very fussy about movies and do not like people chatting, eating, or, even worse, using their phones when they are in a cinema. In an ideal world, everybody should shut up and simply watch the movie. I know this is impossible, that’s why I stopped going to the cinema!

This is mainly why I am always “a bit” behind when it comes to new movie releases. So the movies I am recommending today are not in cinemas anymore but maybe this is a good thing because there is a higher chance for you to find them on streaming platforms – fingers crossed. I watched them on Netflix and Prime, here in Italy; hopefully, you can find them in your country as well.

They are very different movies but they all have in common the reflection on human relationships, especially regarding families and couples, which is so common in Italian cinematography. I have enjoyed them all, especially because their level of drama is under control (sometimes Italian movies are way too dramatic for my liking).

But let’s see what these Italian movies are.

La dea fortuna – Ferzan Özpetek (2019)

Ferzan Özpetek is one of my favorite Italian movie directors. I especially like his first movies, like Le fate ignoranti and La finestra di fronte, but this more recent movie did not disappoint at all. It brings back some of the things I liked in Le fate ignoranti – the idea of a chosen family, the community of neighbors, and the importance of friendship – but adds some interesting elements like the interaction between kids and adults (it’s the first time Özpetek uses young actors) and a bit of horror, too.

The movie tells the story of Alessandro and Arturo, a couple that has been together for more than 15 years and is going through a period of tiredness and crisis. All of a sudden, one of their best friends asks them to take care of her two kids because she needs to go to the hospital for some exams. Needless to say, the two kids subvert the couple’s tired routines and force Alessandro and Arturo to face their problems.

I will not tell much more about the story because I do not want to spoil anything. I’ve enjoyed this movie because of its balance between happy and lighthearted scenes and more complex and dramatic ones – plus a pinch of mystery that did not disappoint. Also, as frequently happens with Özpetek, the locations are full of beauty: most of the movie is set in Rome but there are scenes in Sicily, especially in the magnificent Villa Valguarnera in Bagheria, Palermo.