Antonio Albanese
Uomo d'acqua dolce

Each of us, at least once in our lives, has felt like a fish out of water, maybe freshwater, given the choice. Antonio felt just like that, after losing his memory and wandering who knows where for five years, ultimately returning to square one.

You know those films that, like an old record, remain a slightly dusty object but certainly a cult favorite? Then take the lead actor, long since established on both stage and screen, and you're all set.

“Uomo d’acqua dolce” is a romantic film but also melancholic, hilarious and tragicomic, childish yet at the same time brilliant.

It was 1997 and Antonio Albanese's career started to seriously shine, after two films and the success achieved thanks to the characters he brought to the cathode tube with the brilliance of “Mai dire Gol”, a program on Italia Uno that the actor and director from Lecco left in 1995. Among the various characters and masks brought on stage, the slyest and completely comic one, Epifanio, was chosen to be hurled into this film that sees Albanese for the first time seated in the director's chair.

Accompanied by the music of Nicola Piovani and boasting the presence of Vincenzo Cerami as the screenwriter, “Uomo d’acqua dolce” is a comedic tragedy that amazes and entertains, particularly because of the skilled actors.

When Antonio pulls from his pocket the mushrooms (long expired) and announces them with enthusiasm, not fully realizing he missed the birth of little Tonina and the relationship with his wife Beatrice, he amuses us and leaves us with a bitter aftertaste. But it is with the discovery of the intruder Goffredo that the unstoppable comedic journey of our hero begins, who doesn’t quite remember the past but starts to see his future taking shape.

Legendary is the scene of chasing the mallard in the park or the scene in the record store (the iconic Rasputin in Milan, closed for years), where the protagonist goes wild with clumsy dances and compulsive questions. Or the date organized for Antonio by Goffredo with the colleague Patrizia, to try to distract the forgetful father from the family he wants to reconquer but that is now the prerogative of the bearded tenor.

A bit Rowan Atkinson in “Mr. Bean”, a bit Roberto Benigni in “Nothing Left to Do but Cry”, Antonio attracts and repels anyone who crosses his path. He ruins the tailcoat lent to him by Goffredo during dinner with Patrizia, halfway through which he throws himself, guitar in hand, into an improvised medley on the four seasons, bewildering the entire locale but making us laugh to tears. Or he will follow Beatrice and Goffredo during their romantic weekend, moving a rowing boat back and forth on the waters of Lake Como. All the while, unseen, he will try to get to know little Tonina, ultimately building an affectionate relationship and making up for an inexcusable absence.

When all seems lost, a stroke of genius will bring calm and score a goal for the brave Antonio. The final monologue is one to be listened to over and over. In its comedic simplicity, it encapsulates the entire primal essence of the protagonist, a charming forgetful man trying to reclaim the life he lost, without ultimately offering too many explanations in his defense.

The titular character of Antonio Albanese reminds us a bit of silent cinema but also trashy comedy, with lots of reflection in the background. With a bittersweet plot, it has amused and continues to amuse us, showing us that even those who start defeated, with much effort and never giving up, can achieve great things. Managing to entertain and enjoy themselves as well. Which is no small feat in this life, full of unforeseen events.