Pupi Avati
Regalo di Natale

The story is quite well-known: Venice Film Festival 1986. Walter Chiari, with the film "Romance," was initially favored for the coveted Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Surprisingly, the award went to Carlo Delle Piane for a film by Pupi Avati, the same director who, 15 years later, made a film based on that very episode titled "Festival."

One might wonder: was the award to Delle Piane deserved?

Watching "Regalo di Natale" one would say yes. The plot of the film, on the surface, is not complicated: three friends, Stefano, Lele, and Ugo, through the latter, manage to engage a businessman who makes toys, lawyer Santelia (played by Delle Piane), hoping to fleece him at the green table in a game of poker to share the winnings. Both Lele and Ugo are facing financial difficulties, and the opportunity of that night could turn things around for them. They try to reconnect with Franco (played by Diego Abatantuono), owner of a renowned cinema in the center of Milan and an old friend of the three, for the successful outcome of the game. They haven't seen each other for years, so it's not easy to convince him, but Franco eventually agrees, hoping to benefit as well, given that the cinema is not in an ideal financial situation. The big problem is bringing him together with Ugo, since the two had broken their solid friendship over a woman story.

Among the cards and chips on the table are retributions, old disagreements, and a woman who seems connected to everyone and no one: her name is Martina and she is the cause of the conflict between Ugo and Franco. Avati, in trying to make the story more interesting and tension-filled, creates a certain type of atmosphere: the film takes place almost always in closed, tight spaces, inside a villa just outside Bologna. Playing with the lighting is not easy, but Avati succeeds well, thanks to an excellent work on cinematography: he creates chiaroscuros that highlight the characters well. Indeed, the film relies heavily on the actors' gestures: the key to the film is contained within them, in the facial and hand movements. Between the five, a double dialogue is created, one with words and the other entirely with gestures. The camera bounces between one character and another, especially between Franco and Santelia. The acting is done with many pauses, at a slow pace, and this accentuates Delle Piane's qualities (he himself has acknowledged this in several interviews).

The work on the actors is especially visible on Abatantuono, who is not used to such a dramatic role, and thus to a specific type of physical and vocal acting. Avati molds him according to his cinematic needs and succeeds excellently. The result is a beautiful performance that paves the way for what will be seen in Salvatores' "Trilogy of Escape." Rounding off the ensemble is the splendid soundtrack by Riz Ortolani. 18 years later, a remake of this film will be made, "Rivincita di Natale." Compared to the original, the screenplay is a bit lacking (repeating it would have been quite complicated), but stylistically and visually, the same team from 18 years earlier manages to do a good job. "Regalo di Natale," on the other hand, remains a jewel of cinematic aesthetics wrapped in a dramatic story with very dark outcomes.