La Doppia Ora (The Double Hour)

A good debut movie by Giuseppe Capotondi that will keep you in the edge of your seat at least in the first part as this film is like two movies in one. Movie one is very good while movie two is a little bit of a downer as is a 'different' replay of what you saw in movie one. Still just for what I call movie one the film is worth watching if you like scenes (one) that will make you jump from your seat, scenes (many) that border on scary alike situations, and scenes that make you wonder what’s going on but as pace is fast you have no time to guess as next plot twist comes quite soon. Movie one is a very good and unconventional mystery, drama, thriller and crime.

Movie one was a total surprise for me as I watched this film because Ksenia Rappoport was the lead actress, whom I really enjoy since excellent La Sconociuta, and wasn’t disappointed as this is her movie plus she has an outstanding performance that gave her the Copa Volpi at 2009 Biennale. Just for her performance -plus movie one- the film is worth watching.

Movie one tells about a couple that meet at speed dating, Sonia (Rappoport) a hotel cleaning lady and Guido (Filippo Timi) an ex-cop. Both look and behave like damaged goods but apparently both are willing to really fall for each other. One day Guido takes Sonia to his current workplace where he works as watchman at an always absent millionaire mansion, everything seems to go smoothly as romance seems to progress. That’s it until everything goes wrong when a group of professional burglars enter the mansion and steal all valuables. Before leaving the mansion we see one burglar starting to rape Sonia and Guido jumping to stop it. We hear a shot, cut to few days ahead to find Sonia alive and Guido dead (point one). What follows is the fantastic and twisted aftermath of the robbery with Sonia having all sort of mysterious inexplicable incidents.

Movie one ends when plot sort of goes back to “point one” and story is replay in a “different” way that’s not as good as the one played first. Idea is excellent but movie one is so good that makes movie two a lot less entertaining, thrilling and definitively not mysterious. Still is a good movie that I won’t be surprised if Hollywood does a remake as is the buzz around the net.

Film was in competition at the 2009 Biennale where got the Young Cinema Award for Best Italian Film, Filippo Timi got the Pasinetti Award for Best Male Actor and as mentioned Ksenia Rappoport was honored too. So it’s a movie that has good and well-deserved credentials and as we know film is also in the long list for the 2010 European Film Awards.

I liked the movie more than I imagined even when I’m not really a fan of scary movies, but this film was well balanced between the different genres director chose to play with so effectively. Maybe what I call ‘second movie’ was a downer but still the film is a good European film and as such I do recommend it to those that enjoy good European films.

Enjoy!!

Watch trailer @MOC