Film: La Grazia

The term of office of the Italian president Mariano De Santis is coming to an end. Not for nothing is he mockingly called “Cemento armato”: reinforced concrete. In the echoing halls of the presidential palace, he leads a lonely existence, mourning his wife and listening to hip-hop. Before he returns to ordinary life, he still has to make some bold decisions: two pardon requests and a groundbreaking bill. Decisions that will determine his legacy forever. Visually, the film is unmistakably Sorrentino: carefully composed frames, slow motion, and a pronounced electronic soundtrack. The result is an intriguing portrait of a man who says goodbye to power, but precisely because of that comes closer to himself. La Grazia is witty and moving, with witty dialogues, wonderfully sarcastic outbursts, and characters that are so colorful that they almost deserve their own film. In short: a Sorrentino grand cru. 133 MIN / ITALY / 2025 / 12+ DIRECTOR PAOLO SORRENTINO CAST TONI SERVILLO, ANNA FERZETTI, ORLANDO CINQUE