Cronaca familiare

Enrico (Marcello Mastroianni), a writer living in poverty, learns in 1945 of the death of his younger brother Lorenzo (Jacques Perrin) and tries to conjure up his essence and recall the man whose qualities he appreciated too little and too late. After their mother’s death at his birth, Lorenzo was adopted by a wealthy baron and their different upbringings alienated the brothers. Zurlini’s film, which is marked by melancholy and muted colors and set in a sunless, empty Florence, was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. “Never before and rarely since has a director told a story more compellingly through glances and gestures, developed a relationship more visually and sensitively on film, and engaged more courageously with pathos, pain, and suffering. In my view, CRONACA FAMILIARE is one of the most underrated films in cinema history, and Zurlini is a director who should really be mentioned in the same breath as Rosi, Pasolini, Fellini, and Antonioni.” (SZ)