“Civil War”, an extremely realistic dystopia in a disturbing film

Lots of irons in the fire

If the starting subject is truly very strong, the overall performance is partly weakened by too many irons in the fire, especially in the union between the political side of the story, the sociological one and the ideas relating to the profession of the protagonists. The viewing experience is undoubtedly disturbing, but perhaps it might have been pushed even further towards the different reactions of the American people with respect to what is happening: between those who want to profit, those who see hatred growing within themselves for those who feel different and those who instead pretend that nothing is really happening.

Although a greater general incisiveness would not have hurt, “Civil War” is nevertheless an unmissable film, which confirms the talent of a director who perhaps has not yet fully exploded, but who once once more demonstrates his remarkable hand following the good results obtained with the his previous works.

The secret drawer

Among the new releases in the room, we also highlight “The Secret Drawer” by Costanza Quatriglio, a director known for excellent documentaries such as “Terramatta” (2012) and “Triangle” (2014). Costanza Quatriglio is the daughter of a famous father, named Giuseppe, a Sicilian journalist and author who has traveled the world thanks to her work. Born in 1922 and passed away in 2017, Giuseppe Quatriglio filled his home with books, memories and texts of various genres and it was in this environment that his daughter grew up. After her father’s death, the director will find herself cataloging this extraordinary archive , which mixes articles and photographs, films and recordings, made by a man who came into contact with numerous celebrities during his life and who witnessed epochal events that marked history.

By uncovering this “secret drawer”, Costanza Quatriglio gives life to an intimate and very personal film, in which she will end up understanding many things that she had in common with her father and whose existence she didn’t fully know. This documentary is thus transformed into a feature film which also represents a sort of self-analysis on the part of the director, to try to overcome her father’s mourning and an absence that all those materials certainly cannot fill.

Some modalities of the structure of “The Secret Drawer” feel a little like they have already been seen, but the operation is nevertheless touching and full of strong sensitivity. It’s a shame that the duration is excessive (regarding 132 minutes, really unnecessary), but perhaps it was one more way for the director not to detach herself from her father figure.