He is one of the most iconic figures of European cinema of the 20th century, not only Italian cinema. He played in about 150 productions. He created an unforgettable duo in eight films with Sophia Loren. Italian masters gave him immortality in the history of the 10th muse. He played with Michelangelo Antonioni in “Night” (1961). Federico Fellini entrusted his roles with, among others, “La Dolce Vita” (1960), “Eight and a Half” (1963), “Rome” (1972) and “City of Women” ( 1980). It begins with a symbolic, although somewhat mocking, commemoration of the famous scene in the Trevi Fountain from “La Dolce Vita”. “Marcello Mia”. And later he returns to it with greater sentiment, a hint of nostalgia…
A day before the 100th anniversary of Marcello Mastroianni’s birth, “Marcello Mio” hits our screens. However, this is not a story about the idol of the crowds, not even really about his life, but rather about the people who knew and loved him. About his family. First of all, about her daughter, who is tired of journalists’ questions about “what it’s like to be HIS and HER’s daughter.”
Director and screenwriter Christophe Honoré decides to recall Mastroianni in a rather unusual way. He intertwines fiction with reality – to such an extent that only the relatives of the actor who has been dead for many years can notice the boundaries. He himself emphasizes that it is a fantasy based on many years of acquaintance and friendship with Chiara. She is the most important in “Marcello Mio”. One summer he decides to become his own father.
“All my life I’ve heard that I look like my father. That’s why I was intrigued that I could use this resemblance on screen. It’s not always that an actress gets an offer to star in a film in which she can be both a woman and a man, play in different languages and, on top of that, face your own feelings and memories,” comments Chiara Mastroianni.
She plays herself. He plays his father. He is his own father: he dresses like him, talks like him, smokes like him, walks like him, drives like him – on the streets of Paris and Rome. She tells people to call her “Marcello” and they agree, except perhaps for her mother, who decides to treat her daughter’s strange behavior as a kind of acting exercise, a short whim.
Christophe Honoré makes sure that Mastroianni’s loyal fans will find countless nods to the Italian’s classic roles in “Marcello Mio”. Generally, however, these are not direct quotes, but rather impressions on the subject – evoking spirits through shots, music, atmosphere. Mainly through the participation of the star’s family and friends. Catherine Deneuve, Chiara’s mother and the actor’s wife for four years (1970-1974), takes part in the subtly outlined plot. There are also other people from the life of the divine Marcello. Fabrice Luchini, Nicole Garcia, Benjamin Biolay (Chiara’s ex-husband), Melvil Poupaud appear in front of the camera. The director himself has known Chiara for years, they made seven other films together and worked on theater plays.
Nostalgia in “Marcello Mio” gives way to the search for Chiara herself – a daughter who followed in her parents’ footsteps and became an actress. Although she has already played over 60 roles, many of them appreciated, praised and awarded, it is difficult to say that she has achieved the status of Marcella and Catherine. How he finds his way in this – Christophe Honoré does not discuss such a delicate issue. In a way, his film could be about every actor and actress who is going through a crisis, fighting for a role, waiting for another chance, and in the meantime they are just trying to live, look for themselves, their happiness. Mastroianni somehow adds “spiciness”.
“One of the first ideas for this film was to tell a story about the actors’ everyday lives when they are not working on films. This ‘downtime’ takes up most of their lives,” the filmmaker admits in conversations. “But an actor does not stop being an actor when he is not on a film set, it is a specific relationship with the world,” he adds and continues: “I wanted to portray Chiara in ordinary, everyday moments, surrounded by loved ones. She is a unique actress because her private life and films intertwine because of the famous parents. In ‘Marcello Mio’ I reconstructed this unique family story from a fictional point of view, through echoes and analogies, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality.
So anyone who hopes to find a true story in “Marcello Mio” may leave the screening disappointed. However, if he is close to the specific narrative of French cinema, this poetry in frame and note, maybe he will be able to immerse himself in this world. Apparently we still have to wait for the movie about Mastroianni. Maybe it’s better to remember “The Sweet Life” on his birthday anniversary?
5.5/10
“Marcello Mia”dir. Christophe Honoré, France, Italy 2024, distributor: Galapagos Films, cinema premiere: September 27, 2024.