THE MISSING STAR
Italy, 2006, 103 minutes, Colour.
Sergio Castellitto, Ling Tai.
Directed by Gianni Amelio.
La Stella Che Non C’e is yet another fine film from Italian director Gianni Amelio. He made a big impact in the 1990s with Open Doors, Il Ladro di Bambini and L'America. His previous film was The Keys of the House, a film about fathers and sons with Kim Rossi Stuart and Charlotte Rampling.
Sergio Castellitto is a fine Italian actor as well as director. He portrays the Italian everyman going to the east, leaving his native Italy (as Marco Polo did in the past) and venturing to China. He has information which will help industry – but the Chinese are not interested in hearing his advice. He encounters a young woman, helps her on the road, discovers a great deal about the land of China, its present and future, its people.
The film is an interesting example of a European breaking out of the narrow confines of that continent and trying to understand something of Asia.
1. The work of Gianni Amelio? Italian perspective? Values? His sense of humanity? The international perspective of this film?
2. An Italian story, yet the world of globalisation, the interconnection between Asia and Europe? Differences in culture, language? Colonial history, the dominance of Europe, the tendency of Europe and Europeans to patronise the Asians, underestimating the history of their culture? Some unable to adapt, others learning? The challenge to Italy and Italians, especially concerning migrants, the growth of population, the future?
3. The factory, the extended tour of the factory, the explanation of its history and building? Its closing, selling the equipment to China? The Chinese and their response, the group photo, the translator? The promises by the Italians? The celebratory dinner?
4. Vincenzo, his name, goodwill? The focus of the film, the symbolic Italian? His realistic story, alone, loving his work as an engineer, his brooding, the warning about the dangers, his working on the solution? His going to the banquet, interrupting? The warning, his using the dictionary, his shaming the translator and not realising it?
5. His decision to go to China, his not being understood by the group, passing the girl in the street – and her shame?
6. The flight to China, arrival, the airport, language difficulties, the crowds and the population of China?
7. Getting the taxi, going to the factory, going to the office, the group actually being brokers rather than factory owners, the dismissal of the agent? Their being no help?
8. His meeting the translator, the library, giving her back the dictionary? Her being hurt, ignoring him? The breakfast, his insulting the food? Her decision to help, the discussions about money, the bonding between the two?
9. The different ways of travel around China? The train, the buses, trucks, cars? His going to the factory, her going to the office, his wandering, the officials presuming he was a terrorist, his arrest, the interrogation? His desperation? Her being interrogated, their meeting?
10. Her finding him a place to stay, the stairs, the many floors, his seeing the crowds, the families, the workplaces, the women sewing? The children playing, the television? The reality of China and his journey of learning?
11. His travelling on the roads, on the trucks, the hardships, rough, and his lack of language?
12. Going to the translator’s village, the discovery of her child, her explanation of her story, her shame with the child, not having seen her family or the child for a year, her pregnancy, not married, dropping out of her studies, learning Italian? Vincenzo’s response?
13. His continually wanting to do the mission alone, his sense of urgency, their ride on the truck, it becoming a dead end, their staying, going further on a truck, the roadblock, the translator asleep, his sending the truck back? His eating in the roadside café? Communicating and finding ways to communicate?
14. His finally getting to the factory, offering the equipment, his happiness, the man who understood how the mechanism worked, the puzzle of the other officials – and their throwing it away?
15. His continuing his journey, walking, arriving at the station, meeting the translator?
16. Themes of culture and honour, shame and face? European presumptions and arrogance? The Chinese and their traditions? Attitudes to strangers? Merging into the globalised world?
17. Chinese customs, visualised, Europeans learning? Food, money?
18. The visuals of 21st century China, affluent cities, the big cities, contemporary styles, growth of industry, progress (and builders working through the night)? The countryside, lush, barren? The rivers and the dams?
19. The future, Vincenzo and his talk about children, population, foundlings in China?
20. The title of the film, the stars in the flags, symbols of justice – what was the missing star?
