THOSE HAPPY YEARS / ANNI FELICI
Italy, 2013, 106 minutes, Colour.
Kim Rossi Stuart, Micaela Ramazotti, Martina Gedeck, Samuel Garofalo.
Directed by Daniele Lucchetti.
Those Happy years Years is partly memoir and partly portrait of a self-centred artist.
The artist is played by Kim Rossi Stuart, a womaniser who still loves his wife and his children, often having them in the studio while he works. His wife, Micaela Ramazotto, who also played a devoted mother of a teenage son in Darker than Midnight, is in love with her husband, caring for her two sons.
Dario, the older of the sons, is reminiscing about his teenage days, his father and his work, his love for his mother but also their clashes, and her relationship with her father’s agent, a lesbian relationship which leads to her leaving the family. At one stage, Dario dives clothed into the water, saying that was the only way in which he could get his parents’ attention.
The father has a performance session in Milan which a critic is very severe on, criticising the father and his personality as unlikeable and not having anything to say. Later, the father has a change of heart, creates an enormous sculpture which he explains to his wife is really called after her absence.
The director also made a film about a troubled family, My Brother is an Only Son.
1. The title, the implied irony? The comment that happy years were not realised at the time? The young boy, his adult perspective, on himself, his brother, his parents, their way of life?
2. Re-creation of the period, the cities, homes, the art world, studios, classrooms? Restaurants? The sea on the beach? Italy and France? The musical score?
3. Dario comic is age, perspective, his memories, his experience of each parent, love, his grandmother, the holiday, at the beach, his throwing himself into the water and having to be rescued, his father’s reaction? The time in France? Adolescent love? Issues of innocence?
4. Guido, his career, working with the models, sensual, nudity, the moulds and his work with them? Sexual relationships with the models? The boys present in his studio? His classes students, his wife bringing the boys? His love for his wife, yet betrayals? Self-centred, arrogant in manner, seductive in manner, his not wanting his family to come to his performance part? Healthcare, his agent, the plan for Milan, the show, the naked models, his stripping, his being painted, asking people to come forward, hesitance, Sabrina coming forward, ring painted, his response? His aim, to embarrass people? Looking for the newspaper reviews? The critic, the discussion, telling the truth about not liking him, being superficial? The go Guido punching him? Surrender on the phone, discovering the show was a failure? His return home?
5. The critic of the truth, his being upset, home for the holidays? His mother and her criticism? His final venomous outburst against her? Her response?
6. The boys, watching their father at work, knowing the truth about his relationships, going to the beach, playing? Dario jump into the water, his being rescued, the repetition of the sea later? His wanting to be noticed?
7. Healthcare as the agent, with ego, with Serena, then talk, the feminist attitudes, going to France, the seductive talk, the kiss, Sabrina and her confusion? The issue of freedom?
8. Serena, her character, staying with ego, loving him, her devotion to the children? The talk with hell, kiss, the affair, return home? The phone calls, wanting to be with hell?
9. Talking with ego, love affairs, telling the truth, his angry reaction, her leading?
10. Hugo and his art, his work, the huge project, people coming to see it, walk around it? The critic, his liking it, like indeed oh, going to eat and drink with
him? Digger explaining to Serena that the artwork was her absence?
11. The future, the couple sometimes being together for months, years? The final credits, the repetition of Dario under the water and his being rescued? The effect on him? And the some recall large of images of the whole film?
