There is a tide in the affairs of war, which taken at the flood, leads on to common humanity.
In the early days of World War II, when an Italian submarine sinks a Belgian merchant marine, the subs commander must decide whether to rescue the ships survivors or let them perish at sea.
Bringing them aboard risks all manner of enmity not to mention risk of court martial but the skipper is a seasoned man of the sea and is ruled by a common decency outweighing geopolitical conflict.
Confidentially cautioned by his first mate, there is not the merest whiff of mutiny at the Commander’s decision, no derision from his committed crew. Apart from a stupid, suicidal act of sabotage from two of the survivors, the relationship between rescuers and rescued is civil, depicting a common humanity nourishingly illustrated by an exploration of culinary culture, particularly the making of French fries. It’s a case of friendship and chips!
Edoardo De Angelis’ film, COMMANDANTE is a film about conscience in the fog of war. It features a commanding performance by Pierfrancesco Favino in the title role, a man of great discipline and sense of duty, sympathetic, empathetic and pragmatic.
In a splendid supporting cast ensemble, Massimiliano Rossi periscopes a top performance as Marcon, the ship’s battle scarred and sage 2 I C.
Apart from a couple of vividly staged pieces of combat, COMMANDANTE is not a typical action war movie and therefore not intellectually flabby or emotionally redundant.
The 2024 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace screens in the following locations:
Sydney18 September – 16 October, Palace Moore Park, Palace Norton St, Palace Central, Chauvel Cinema
For information and updates, please visit italianfilmfestival.com.au or follow us on Facebook @ItalianFF and Instagram @ItalianFilmFest.
