La Grazia – Film Review

La grazia – (Grace)

Director – Paolo Sorrentino
Writer – Paolo Sorrentino
Stars – Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Orlando Cinque

In this work, Toni Servillo plays Mariano, the ‘Presidente’! He is the President of Italy, a well-loved and distinguished man who is coming to the end of this term in office. He is grappling with issues such as the moral complexities of euthanasia legislation and pardoning two people convicted of murder under varying circumstances. All the while, he deals with problems in his personal life and with memories of his wife, who died 9 years previously, but still leaves a massive hole in his life. He is deeply in love with her, but knows that she was unfaithful to him. He does not know the details of this infidelity. The search for this information haunts him, and his friend Coco Valori (Milvia Marigliano) holds the secret for his wife.

The main people in his life are his daughter, Dorotea (Anna Ferzetti), and his personal protection officer, Labaro (Orlando Cinque). Otherwise, he is swept along on a wave of events and openings, which are part of his ceremonial life. He attends an opening night at the Scala and meets the presidents of other nations. Another scene takes him to a long table filled with ageing members of the Alpini. These veterans of the mountain infantry burst into song, and Mariano joins them.  He also meets and has discussions with his ‘friend’, the Pope, or ‘Papa afro-francese’ (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin) as he is called in the credits.

Paolo Sorrentino is known for films such as The Great Beauty (2013 – La grande bellezza) and This Must Be The Place (2011). This film follows on from Parthenope (2024), which was a fall from grace for the Italian auteur, receiving less than favourable reviews. This film is a return to form. Sorrentino is also reunited with Toni Servillo, who seems the perfect embodiment of his vision.

The film is not as playful as The Great Beauty and does get overly involved in the laws and decisions that are laid out in front of the President. He was once a Judge, and he loves the minute elements of the law, taking apart the legislation laid in front of him and finding holes in its syntax. Sorrentino shows this astute and complex man coming to the end of his time as president, and the change from someone who is of huge importance to a simple pensioner. As ever with Sorrentino, it is a visual feast, with the impressive backdrop of Rome and its buildings. There are wonderful scenes and lighting throughout, and much to indulge in as you follow the President as he approaches this change in life.