Paolo Genovese
Follemente

We are not quite at the level of "Perfetti sconosciuti," but we're close. The idea is partially borrowed from "Inside Out," but whereas the animated film focused on emotions, here the focus is on characters or personalities, eroticism, tenderness, rationality, pessimism, or paranoia. The story is very simple: it's about a first date between a divorced man in his mid-forties, played perfectly by Edoardo Leo, and a lively thirty-year-old, Pilar Fogliati, who is very, very talented. The rest of the cast is more or less comprised of the usual circle of Italian actors and actresses, Giallini, Pandolfi, Papaleo, etc., with Santamaria and Fanelli perhaps standing out the most in their respective roles as the erotic personalities. But, beyond a good script rich with a torrent of jokes, what makes the difference is the direction and especially the excellent editing, at times rather tight, which helps to keep the pace always high, despite the seemingly theatrical setup since the film actually takes place in three different settings, three apartments, of which only one is real while the others are imagined. Great harmony both in the female and male departments, perhaps a few too many clichés, but everything flows smoothly with the moment of orgasm being truly climactic, played with great elegance and fun. Maybe there was an opportunity for some deeper exploration, but maybe not. There is frequent laughter and the smile remains throughout the film and, notably, for quite some time after leaving the cinema. An hour and a half spent pleasantly with a decidedly enjoyable film.