The creative duo of Paolo Costello and Paolo Genovese are responsible for “(Not) Long and Happy”. Gentlemen previously created, among other things “You lie in good company” (He watches on vod.pl), one of the greatest Italian songs of recent years, which has eighteen rimejki, including Polish. In the previous film, Genovese sat in the director’s chair, and now the situation – the script co-written by the filmmakers (with Antonella Latanzi) has turned into “(Not) Happy and Tall” directed by Costello.
Fortunately (not) long and happy is a story, loosely inspired by the true story being read in the press, of four husbands who find their vows void because they were given by a man pretending to be a priest. Thus, they have to decide whether they want to stand on the wedding carpet again and say the secret “yes” to themselves again, or whether they will take this opportunity to search for a new path in life.
Fortunately (not) long and fortunately: unhealed wounds from the past
We have Paola (Claudia Pandolfi) and Andrea (Filippo Negro) here – they both love each other very much, but when he really wants to have a child, she prefers to work and see the promotion. We also meet Vita (Fabio Volo) and Sarah (Ambra Angiolini), a married couple who are already divorced, and who genuinely hate each other. They are brought together by their son, whom Vito hardly takes care of. There’s also a seemingly happy couple, Edo and Giada (Luca Bizzari and Carolina Crisentini) and Mark and Viola (Paulo Kesisoglu and Claudia Gerini), whose lives seem inextricably intertwined, at least for a while.
So Costello and Genovese rethink the honesty in our relationships, showing that everyone has more and more hidden secrets from their other half. Interestingly, the initially bizarre situation in which the spouses found themselves remains rather light, because even at the beginning of the story, the characters openly joked about what happened to them. But when the plot unfolds, when – as you can imagine – deeply hidden secrets are revealed and unhealed wounds from the past are scratched again – the creators also begin to take their story more seriously.
Claudia Pandolfi and Filippo Negro in “(Not) Never Happy”
“(Not) ever happy”: the atmosphere thickens minute by minute
Fortunately (not) Long and Happy doesn’t have the same power as Good Lies…but the creators transition seamlessly from warm comedy to somewhat depressing drama as the atmosphere only thickens with each passing minute. Perhaps there is no greater risk in the accuracy and perception of the director, and at the level of the script one would expect greater social differentiation (the characters are often well-placed lawyers, architects, bankers), but the more important question for the viewer to stay with: What would you change in your life if An unexpected sudden event gave you the opportunity to choose again?
Costello and Genovese do not provide ready-made answers. Because while their new film offers insight into the daily lives of couples of a certain social status, with all their unspoken weaknesses, desires, and grievances that might erupt at the first available opportunity, they leave us with a reflection that may be useful to understand. Our shortcomings – and perhaps – to contend with.
[4/6]
