LIKE CRAZY/ LA PAZZA GIOA

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Micaela Ramazotti.
Italy, 2016, 118 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Paolo Virzi.

When Italian filmmakers are able to combine the serious and comic, create interesting and likeable characters, explore unusual situations, they come up with very entertaining films. This is one of those films.

While the English title is Like Crazy with its slang nuances, the Italian title has an emphasis on joy, even though it is a mad, crazy joy. This more accurately describes the experience of the central characters and something of the audience response.

There is something of an ominous prologue, a young woman seen at a distance walking across a bridge – but it is only in the latter part of the film that there is a revelation of what this scene has meant and the visualising of it.

And then we meet Beatrice! In most ways she has to be seen and met to be believed. She is played by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, always a versatile actress but now are giving one of her most exuberant performances. Beatrice is in a mental institution, something of a free and easy place to live, a caring doctor, some sympathetic staff, and Beatrice’s feeling free to lord it over everyone, remembering her past with something of an unreal glow, forgetting how her marriage failed, but looking back to her infatuation with a gangster, helping him with the lawyer, spending the family money on him. She comports herself with a great deal of style, fashion, and a great deal of disdain for most other people except for those she chooses to like.

This is true of Donatella, Micaela Ramazotti (the wife of the writer-director, Paolo Virzi) in a performance complementing that of Beatrice. Donatella arrives at the institution, depressed, emaciated, tattoos… And, when the doctor leaves Donatella at reception, Beatrice is able to step in and enjoy herself impersonating a doctor. The two women do not bond instantly but gradually, sharing a room, talking, Donatella gradually able to reveal something of her story, and Beatrice loquaciously non-stop commanding every situation.

When they are permitted to work outside the institution and miss the vehicle home, they go on their own variation of a Thelma and Louise spree, Donatella caught up with Beatrice’s continued enthusiasm and inventiveness, taking cars, dining at a top-class restaurant with no ability to pay (and Beatrice returning the wine because of a cork tang), a world that Donatella has not moved in.

Part of the getting out of the institution is Beatrice’s return to visit her ex-husband, his present wife angry with her, Beatrice exercising a certain seductiveness, with support of the staff, and taking money and jewels. On the other hand, Donatella visits her mother who is looking after an infirm elderly gentleman and expecting an inheritance while her father is a singer who was hardly ever present for Donatella’s growing up. She also visits the club owner, the father of her child, who wants to get rid of her.

The pathos of the film comes with Beatrice tracking down the adoptive parents of Donatella’s son and the audience sharing quite some feeling in the encounter with the family.

One is tempted to think all the time that the world is full of mad people, not just in the mental institutions – but the question arises of whether a person can get better or is destined to live in their mental condition.


1. An Italian story, Italian style, serious and comic? Audiences relating to the film and the characters?

2. The title, the English nuances? The Italian nuances – a mad joy?

3. Northern Italy, Liguria, the countryside, the towns, institution, the mansions, clubs, restaurants, homes? The beach? The musical score?

4. The prologue, Donatella, the child, walking across the bridge – the later and gradual revelation of the truth, the final flashback, with the child, audience empathy, her illness, wanting to die, jumping from the bridge, with the child, underwater, surviving?

5. The portrait of Beatrice: her age, style, loquacious, pretentious, her appearance, fashion, her poise, her mental condition? Her talk, her place in the institution, the treatment of the authorities, of the staff, the other residents, considering herself superior, living in her imagination and distorted memories of the past, her marriage, its failure, her husband and the law, her infatuation with the gangster, seeing Donatella arrive, curiosity, the opportunity for her to pretend to be the doctor, her handling of the situation? Attached to Donatella, wanting to talk, the dining room, Donatella’s wary reaction, the gradual bonding, discussions, sharing the room, confidences? The growing friendship? The work in the garden – and her talking and watching others work? The opportunity to escape?

6. Donatella, her age, experience, her past, her appearance, emaciated, the tattos, Beatrice’s reaction to these tattoos? Gradual revelation about her mother, the visit to her mother and her taking care of the elderly man and expecting an inheritance? Her father’s visit, his absence in the past, the singer, her singing the song, thinking that it was his gift to her but his stepping back? Maurizio, the club, sex, her work there, the child, wanting to kill herself? With Beatrice, her reactions, working with her? Life and her mental state?

7. The staff, the doctor, her methods, the details of daily living, the nurses, some friendly, some not? The nuns?

8. Beatrice getting Donatella to go to Mass, talking about the African priest and his being attractive, Beatrice persuading her to go to Communion?

9. The possibility for working outside the institution, the gardening, Beatrice talking, Donatella working? Missing the bus? Their going on the spree?

10. Beatrice, shrewd, her manner with people, taking things, using her imagination? The cars, the driving, the angry driver picking them up, pursuing them? Going to the restaurant, her grand style, then having no money, their being pursued?

11. The effect on Donatella, coming alive, sharing something of Beatrice’s exuberance, the car rides, the restaurant and running? Going to see her mother, Beatrice taking control, her mother’s work, the old man? Getting the money? Going shopping? Going to see Maurizio, his hostility? The accident and her being knocked over by the car? Hospital? Escaping?

12. The staff, concern, the phone calls, tracking down the women?

13. Beatrice and her going to the mansion, the servants greeting her, her ex-husband, the anger of his wife, his talking with her, the sexual encounter and his infatuation, her taking the money and the jewellery – and saying she intended to give it back? The contrast with her visit to the gangster, his hostility, her being willing to give over the money, to his girlfriend, Donatella using her commonsense and their leaving?

14. Beatrice, her concern about Donatella and her child, getting the information about the parents, the boy and the bond with his adopted parents, Beatrice and her talk, the more sympathetic father, the hostile mother, Donatella listening, looking at the boy and his playing?

15. The visit to the beach, Donatella watching, the boy in the water, talking with Donatella, his recognising her? The reaction of the mother, the reaction of the father, his urging his wife to let them be, the pathos of the scene between the two, going into the water, her leaving – and gratitude in seeing the boy?

16. The couple being caught, going back, Donatella wanting to get well, Beatrice and her continued flair…?