Based on real events, the 2020 Italian film Padrenostro tells the story of 10-year-old Valerio (Mattia Garaci), whose life is turned upside down when he witnesses the attack on his father (Pierfrancesco Favino) by a group of terrorists.

Padrenostro offers much more than mere escapist entertainment.

It may take more than one viewing to grasp the story’s nuances, but the beautiful aesthetics and exemplary cinematography more than compensate for the time invested.

Beautiful aesthetics and exemplary cinematography

The deliberately slow pacing of the film allows the viewer to invest in the world of the film’s protagonist. As with most Coming-of-Age narratives, it’s essential to grasp the development of his character and the motivations behind his actions to fully appreciate the development of his character arc.

Cinematographically, the film is a real masterpiece. The cinematic techniques help fill in details about the life of the young Valerio , such as a scene of the boy as he is made to stand in front of his class. At the same time, his father is proclaimed a hero by their teacher, with a highly stylized zoom out transmiting a sense of isolation or selective focus That technique is used in other scenes to achieve the same effect.

Friendship unbound

Before meeting Christian (Francesco Gheghi), Valerio thinks of his father as his only friend in the world, which explains why he is so shaken after the terrorist attempt against him.  If anything were to happen to his father, Valerio would be in danger of being alone in the world.

The character of Christian is intriguing – an older friend whose presence and influence reflects on the ten year old Valerio in a liberating manner. However, due to his sudden appearance in the younger boy’s life, and his persistence to remain part of it, the viewer may never shed a suspicion about Christian’s motives for befriending him.

Acting Performance

Many of the scenes are felt poignantly as the camera points directly at the young actor’s face. In one scene, we feel as if we can peer into his eyes. In others, we read his emotions directly– no words needed. This speaks volumes about the talent of Mattia Garaci and that of the director who has managed to extract such an emotive performance from the young actor. Fortunately enough that’s the case, as Mattia is present in almost every scene of the film – a fact that devotees of Coming-of-Age cinema will greatly appreciate.

Whereas it is doubtful that many viewers will be able to identify with the film’s protagonist due to the specifics of his family situation, and the time period in which the action is set, identifying with his experience of finding a real friend is plausible. I could not help but notice a few of Charles Dickens’s influences on the narrative of Padrenostro as the streetwiseness of Christian and the naïve/good-natured Valerio reminds one of the Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist. Friendship turns into a central theme of the film. And, while some viewers may miss the significance of the opening scene in that regard, it is easily graspable upon repeated viewing.

The Musical Score

The musical score predominately comprises a mixture between classical pieces and Italian songs– either subtle or rousing as the scene requires. More frequently than not, the sound is used to create suspense, raising the tension toward an expected major event, an event that never really materializes. But despite the fact that nothing that dramatic happens, the fact that one expects for it to happen makes one more attentive to the story. The end result is a better understanding of the characters by better gauging their emotions as the result of that increased attention.

Padrenostro lacks the dynamics of other recent Italian Coming-of-Age dramas such as Stolen Days (Original title: Il ladro di giorni), but the viscous fluidity of the action more than compensates for that.  Essentially the film is about childhood, with organized crime (a theme ever-present in some of the best Italian narratives) assuming a background position.

The production design, cinematography, camerawork, musical score, and acting – all of the cinematic elements combined – result in a powerful portrayal of growing up in a tense environment and overcoming the trials and tribulations of life. Padrenostro is an excellent Coming-of-Age drama whose only flaw is the unnecessarily long screen time.

Trailer 

Padrenostro (2020)

In short

The production design, cinematography, camerawork, musical score, and acting of Padrenostro – all of the cinematic elements combined – result in a powerful portrayal of growing up in a tense environment.

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Score/Soundtrack

Cinematography

Storyline/Screenplay

Production

Direction

Reader Rating4 Votes

4.8

Our rating

Sometimes a plotline and cover art can invoke high expectations, which unfortunately are more than likely to remain unrealized. That’s the case with the 2020 American drama Chance. With a plot description stating: “A true story of a teenage love triangle leading to one of the two boys’ tragic death – told through the lens of elite youth baseball.” –  one is looking for a heart wrenching Coming-of-Age drama.

Still, while the narrative barely manages to build some tension after the one-hour time mark, one never gets engrossed in the story or develops a relationship with the on screen characters.

My disappointment with the film lies with the narrative, which is character-based, but lacks uniformity and a solid cause-and-effect relationship. You could take out the movie’s first hour, which follows the film protagonist from the tender age of six to his late teenage years in a linear and rather dull manner.

Doing that would not affect the overall theme of the film in that first part. In that first hour, the story is perceived through a “Little League/youth baseball lens”, but only enough to establish a general atmosphere. It’s a cliched representation of an American childhood complete with country fairs and flags, prayers (even at the baseball field), etc. The cheesy soundtrack cheapens the film’s overall feel as well — a dead giveaway of a rushed production. 

Things improve in the second half of the film, with even the score improving slightly to bring tension to the narrative, so that an intrigue is now present. But it’s too little, too late and an hour of screen time is lost in vain. Some Coming-of-Age narratives may use the linear approach to develop the main character, but while we see him at various ages, the scenes themselves never really interconnected progressively.

The camerawork is principally OK, surprisingly more so in the first part of the film with scenes portraying Little League baseball games with excellent focal points and close-ups. Most of the cast manages to pull off good performances (even the kind of performances one would expect from a sitcom or a Hallmark special). Yet, the issues with the script and the mediocre direction ruin the experience. 

Chance – Trailer 

[imdb]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7915464/reference[/imdb]

Chance (2020)

In short

A disappointing film that attempts to portray the life of a boy, Chance, from the age of six to 16.

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Reader Rating0 Votes

1.5

Our rating

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In William Dear‘s Wild America, a trio of brothers in the 1960s embarked on a journey across America to film endangered wildlife.

The film is narrated in the first person by its youngest protagonist, Marshall (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), with internal monologues offering direct access to the inner world of his thoughts.

This approach introduces a nostalgic vibe to the story (almost like reading an excellent Coming-of-Age novel). Yet, it doesn’t diminish the fun and adventurous spirit of the narrative.

Undoubtedly, much of the film’s appeal is owed to the acting talent and charming appearance of the young Jonathan Taylor Thomas (thus the many close-ups on his face reacting to various happenings and sayings). For many of his fans (past and present), JTT’s name would be enough of an enticement to give the film a chance.

The adventures are in abundance. After all, in how many films would you witness a young boy thrown into all kinds of bizarre situations — close to bears, crocodiles, and highly angered moose? Most of the film’s events are unlikely to happen in real life, yet one has to cut some slack for a movie whose primary goal is to entertain, be it through silly yet thrilling ventures.

The film’s plot is inspired by the documentation of Mark Stouffer‘s real-life experiences and those of his two younger brothers. Therefore, it is also possible that my envy for the boys’ adventures hinders my judgment of the implausible possibility that such adventures (singing a lullaby to the bears, feeding a crocodile with a flashlight, riding on the horns of an angered moose) ever happened.

For a film released in 1998, many of the scenes remain relevant to present-day youth, featuring daredevil stunts and risky, adventurous challenges in the pursuit of that killer video clip destined to go viral. So, in a way, the film’s fast-paced scenes will appeal especially to preteen audiences who may forgive the narrative’s lack of consistency or the incredible, clichéd finale.

I didn’t take much from this film and didn’t consider it a fine example of coming-of-age cinema, but neither was I bored while watching it. While I can’t extend a wholehearted recommendation, the film would make a perfect choice for a relaxed Sunday afternoon.

Trailer

[imdb]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120512/reference[/imdb]

Wild America (1997)

In short

A trio of brothers in the 1960's set out across America to film endangered wildlife, narrated in the first person by its youngest protagonist played by Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

2.3

Our rating

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Today’s Italian cinema has shifted its focus from harsh melodramas and mafia themed crime films to crowd-pleasers such as intelligent yet entertaining comedy flicks. In 2014, a year after the release of Gennaro Nunziante‘s comedy Sole a Catinelle (Sun in Buckets), a new film with an equally witty title graced the screens: Maicol Jecson.

This time the story is narrated by its edgy young protagonist Andrea (Niccolo Gentili), a 16-year-old teenager with raging hormones and one purpose in mind — losing his virginity to his girlfriend, Eva.  The small hurdles on the way are being addressed one by one – parents depart on vacation, and Andreas comes up with a plan to skip the summer camp he and his younger brother Tommaso (Tommaso Neri, already seen in the 2012 short film I KILLER ) are to attend.

Yet, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” — so things don’t go as smoothly as expected. The little brother decides to stay home, and there is no way to get rid of him.  Tommaso is an adorable kid with one huge obsession – Michael Jackson. His admiration of Michael is so immense that he wears a colourful mask just like Michael’s kids, and he’s constantly singing and dancing.

After all of Andrea’s friends refuse to babysit Tomasso, he invents a game of “Granddads”:  leaving the little kid with the elderly inhabitants of a nearby retirement home. But this plan goes to hell as well, and Tommaso comes home with Cesare (Remo Girone), an elderly gentleman (with dementia) who genuinely believes himself the grandfather of the boys. The adventure has just begun …

The film’s most remarkable feature is its excellent, bizarre and original story in which stereotypes are used only for comic relief. The film brilliantly intertwines road movies and comedies elements without sacrificing the motifs we are used to seeing in Coming-of-Age narratives, such as the focus on love, friendship, and discovering what really matters in life.

The Michael Jackson character and music serve as a leitmotif (from which the film gets its title) — making the story feel innovative and remarkably refreshing. Most of the film’s characterizations rely on appearance rather than dialogue, but with such adorable and funky characters. That’s a winning strategy by the film’s two directors: Enrico Audenino and Francesco Calabrese.

Freeze frames and voice-overs are the techniques most frequently utilized during the film`s duration, and they both fit in the overall theme of the film, which is undoubtedly Coming-of-Age but with a funky twist. It’s not just growing up experiences; the intergenerational friendship (explored in other Rite-of-Passage comedies such as Theodore Melfi’s 2014 film, St. Vincent or the 2008 film Is Anybody There?) is also essential for the film`s narrative, making it much more enjoyable than American Pie (to name a potential American counterpart).

The film’s protagonists are quite eccentric and, although Andrea narrates the story, it’s the little Michael Jackson fanatic, Tommaso, who is always in the middle of the action. Tommaso Neri does a great job attaining the sympathy of the viewers in his role.

One of the best Indie flicks I have seen of late, Maicol Jecson exceeded my expectations and earned a high recommendation to the readers of theskykid.com.

Official trailer

Maicol Jecson (2014)

In short

A Coming-of-Age wonderful, bizarre and original story that is one of the best Indie flicks I have seen/reviewed of late. Highly recommended!

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Reader Rating0 Votes

4.5

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