Paolo Sorrentino on ‘La Grazia,’ Tony Servill as Italian President

Paolo Sorrentino Teams with the star “great beauty” Tony Servil At his last film “La Grazia”, ​​which opens Venice Film Festival Wednesday night. In a multilayer moral drama, servile played by the invented president of Italy named Mariano de Santis, who is in conflict about whether he should apply to the law to enable euthanasia in Catholic Italy.

In “La Grazia”, ​​which can be translated in English, as “Grace”, “de santis is a man of great integrity, despite the fact that he brings a occasional cigarette through his unique lungs. The president also heats up to the actual Italian reperpass known as Gue.

The film – which is 10. The characteristic of Sorrenton and its seventh starding servilla – Products Annamaria Morelli for Fremantle owned by apartments and Sorrentorin’s own fields Numero 10, in joining Italian Piperfilm. Mubi will release “La Grazia” in the United States and other major territories.

Ahead of us “La Grazia”, ​​Sorrento talked Variety About why, after previously showed morally suspicious Italian politicians Giulio Andreotti and Silvio Berlusconi, he felt the urge to set a positive example on the screen.

“Every day in the news we read about the decisions of politicians originating from impetus, show forces and strange distorted ideas on how the economy works,” he says. “Instead, I wanted to show what politician should be like.”

How is this story – about the Italian president and Catholic widow faced with complex moral things – germinate?

Unlike my usual approach – I usually start influencing the character – the story stems from the news I read many years ago, who forgave an older man who killed his wife who suffered from Alzheimer. So I started this, I wondered what it meant – the only man who can use this power is the President of the Republic, but also in Italy, but also in the United States, and other countries – to propagate whether he will forgive the killer or not. It seemed to me that it was an extremely interesting moral matter is worth exploring, especially because it is often the case in Italian history, it was Catholic who therefore believed in the values ​​of the world.

Immediately after that, I also thought that narrative strand could intersect with another dilemma – whether to sign the euthanasia law. The only type of plot I consider really persuasive is accurately on moral dilemmas. The perfect example of this is the films “The Decalogue” of the film “The Decalogue”, because it is all in them focused on a moral dilemma.

There is, of course, a generous dose of your usual irony in the film. The question is: After the Italian politics and although it also has Italian politicians and although the Italian politician and although the Italian politician and although the Italian politician you have provided grace and positive values. Has something changed in your relationship with those in power?

The problem with the display of andreotti and Berlusconi, for me did not deal with the characters who were negative. Politically, for me, Berlusconi was. And so I andreotti, partly, was. But it’s not even there either. There is a common thread between three films concerning how their private life affects their decisions. We all have character shortages. But for American common mortals negatively affect, although maybe only in our children, in our women, our friends. But with people in power, we often underestimate the problem of their character (disadvantage). I’ve always been interested in this. The other day I saw an interview many years ago with Charlie Munger, which is a partner of Warren Buffett. They asked him, “How would you see Donald Trump as President?” Munger said Trump was only motivated only by emptying and looking for glory and that things would be very dangerous for someone who becomes the president of the United States. Every day in the news we read about the decisions of politicians who come from impetuosity, exhibition of force and strange distorted ideas about how the economy works. Instead, I wanted to show what politician should be.

The second common thread are these movies Star Tony Servill, your men’s muse. Did you write “La Grazia” in mind with the service?

Yes, I thought of Tony because he was the actor who gives me an imminent sense of authority. When I start thinking about authoritative data, Tony immediately comes to mind.

What, if there are, notes, did you give your character a favor, President Mariano de Santis?

The most wanted indication I have probably has only that the character preserves the raising into sentimentality. Where there were scenes that borrowed the president to indulge (emotionally), for example, for example, I always preferred freezing on this. So that the great humanity that Tony emit is right with this face.

The president has a strong connection with his daughter, played by Anna Ferzetti. This is also a paternity film. Talk to me about your relationship.

This stems from something autobiographical, from relationships with its daughter. There are these temptations that we all have, when we become older – even very smart, they do it – to determine that today’s awful is terrible and that the past they were young. It is a very human temptation. It’s comfortable, because you don’t force you to think about what happens today at the time you don’t have tools more to understand things. So I thought it could be interesting, given that the president was a very smart guy, not to hand over this temptation. Instead, he lets his daughter lead him to better understanding of today. It is clear in what happens to the President and the Law on Euthanasia. In the end, he signs (euthanasia) of the law because he believes the ideas of his daughter. Not because he is convinced (that’s correct). The future belongs to their generation.

Euthanasia is a strong topic that anchors “La Grazia”. As President surprises whether the law of euthanasia should sign, he asks himself, “who belongs to our days?” It seems like you had a lot of thought. Is that that way?

I think it all bothered us, “who belonged to our days?” We all feel that in certain stages of our lives, in certain key moments of transition, as if the days do not belong to us. They didn’t belong to us. They belonged to others. For some of us, this perception can sometimes be simply a purely naval thought, such as: “They belong to my employer or my family. But, basically, I become.” Bur for those who are burdened with physical and mental suffering, it becomes very pressure on the question that must be answered. Euthanasia has to do with who is responsible for individual lives and death.

The music of Italian rapper-Gue was intertwined in the story of the film. How was this cooperation?

Until I recently did not know Gue or his music. I would like to say that it was one of my children who turned me on him, but that was actually my wife. I immediately liked his songs. At first I didn’t understand 85% of the words, but what hit me was that 15% in the remaining one complicated sentences was deeply humanity. Deep pain, too, in his relationship with his father. That’s what he was enchanted. Then when I met him, in Milan, where he came to present my film “Partenopes”, this big guy who was very strong, but also gentle. We just hit him. His song that is in the film (“Le Bimba Piangono”) has a line in it, “Chiedo Dopo Perdono, does not receive by favorites.” (“I will look for forgiveness later, not before I beg”). Because of some weird mental alchemy, he moves deeply. It’s like a mantra I often repeat to myself. It’s about the postponement of the moment you will need to ask for forgiveness, since we will all have to ask for forgiveness for unfair things we have done. I wanted to underline how this older president struggles to reconcile with the present, but he wants to understand him, so I wounded him to call him to the presidential palace to be honored.

This interview is arranged and condensed for clarity.