Giulio Manfredonia
Si Può Fare

Milan, 1983.

It is not only the year of the release of "Ride The Lightning" by Metallica, as many of you on Debaser might think, but it is also the year of the passing of the Basaglia law which closed mental asylums; consequently, families wanting to take back their mentally ill members find themselves overwhelmed, while those who don't, find these poor souls in cooperatives, performing useless tasks and being drugged with sedatives that reduce them to a semi-vegetative state.

Enter Nello (Claudio Bisio), who, deemed a too modern unionist by his colleagues (who will soon, however, switch to the opposite side of the spectrum, that of the capitalist), is sent to manage one of these work cooperatives for individuals with disabilities. The impact with this decidedly new reality is initially traumatic for Nello (in the true sense of the word): first, he discovers the harsh reality of a girl whose body was exploited by a man, leaving her pregnant, then our Nello even takes a punch in the face from Luca, one of the main characters of the film, who spent many years in prison after he, at the age of 16, slit his brother's throat because the brother continuously beat their poor mother. Nevertheless, our protagonist does not give up, especially after noticing the extraordinary abilities in performing tasks (manual for some, mathematical for others) of his "patients-workers." Having a cooperation pact between Nello and his workers, they all together decide to open a wood processing business, particularly parquet, taking advantage of these extraordinary manual skills also possessed by Luca, who gradually transforms into a more sociable and open person (even if selectively). Everything seems to go well for Nello and his patients, who even find a home and real life. However, obstacles are not lacking: first, Doctor Del Vecchio (Giorgio Colangeli), tries to hinder the cooperative, believing that the crazies can be dangerous for society, but above all, there are few who would entrust their parquet to individuals who, at least on paper, have retarded cognitive abilities; in reality, this fantastic story allows us to discover that everyone has hidden gifts, beyond appearances, and these abilities refute the predominant mentality of the society which tends to repress these individuals, extraordinary in every sense, both negatively and positively speaking.

The "Antica Cooperativa 180" gradually grows, hires new workers (strictly with disabilities, among whom emerges the amazing figure of the "grumpy one") and wins some contracts; among these contracts is even the flooring of the Paris subway, but for reasons that the film will reveal, this project initially falls through, giving Nello "his greatest victory" (if you're confused now, I advise re-reading this review after watching the film! Editor's note).

I don't want to tell you more, except that this is a wonderful film that highlights a theme not often addressed, that of mental, rather than cultural or social, diversity. "Up close nobody's normal" says the slogan of Si può fare, but I believe it's more accurate to ask "What does it mean to be normal?"; in the film, being normal means largely being useful to society, that is the being (as increasingly happens in this sad world) is seen from a "capitalistic" perspective: we are all workers paid a certain sum of money, doing a certain job, and because of this, even the differently-abled can make a career if only they are given the chance to express their talent.

For an hour and a half, you move from laughter to tears without realizing it and without ever knowing whether you should laugh or cry in the face of certain dramatically funny situations; perhaps in this aspect, more than any other, lies the skill of Manfredonia, capable of blending fun, the main purpose of any comedy, with the seriousness necessary to give credibility and enormous uniqueness to a film steeped in Italy.