Italian Race * * *

   I saw this at the Italian Film Festival which is now on in Australia.

Faster Giulia! Kill! Kill!

   I guess it’s fair to compare a film on Italian Motor Racing to an Italian sports car: Beautiful and annoying, thrilling but unreliable. (Maybe that's why the lead character drives a Porsche).

   Apparently it’s a true story - or at least, it is based upon one.

   A seventeen year old girl - Giulia - has been taught by her father how to race cars.  And she is good. She’s taken to it like a fish to water.  Her father is a racing team owner.  Then he dies (don’t worry that’s not a spoiler, it’s in the opening scenes).

  Mum has long since gone, so it’s just leaves Giulia and her kid brother and a debt so huge that the house they live in is due to be seized by the lender.  Also, the authorities consider them too young to be without adult care.

  Her big brother Loris comes home with his girlfriend. Both are Junkies.  But they are at least "adults".  Giulia doesn’t want them in the house.  But it’s either let big brother in to “look after them” or move into foster care.

  We learn that Loris had been a very successful race driver in his own time but he has fallen far from grace.

  After much conflict Brother and Sister start to get on. He can coach her and she starts winning prize money.  Then the opportunity for the big race “The Italian Race” with it’s accompanying prize money comes up.

  I won’t tell you any more.

  Good points - the footage of the cars racing. It's about the best I have seen, and I wish there had been more of it. Car’s going so close at 250kph they take the paint off each other. Frightening and exciting drivers POV. Screaming motors, tyres hitting the gravel, sweat, smoke, foul language as spilt second tactics go wrong - or right.  You really do feel it from the driver and teams perspective.

  Bad points -  the actual story, which unfortunately is nowhere near as exciting or satisfying, with far too many distracting scenes of contrived sentimentality which we could have well done without.  It also vacillates between giving the lead role to one sibling then the other.

   Stefano Arcossi plays the elder brother Loris.  For this role he has changed himself from a handsome Italian heartthrob into a rotten toothed, lank haired, junkie.  His physical conversion is extraordinary.  

  His racing car driver sister Giuila is played by newcomer Matilda De Angelis who is  nearly as pretty as a Pininfarina designed sports car.  She’s a convincing young actress and plays the role well.