REALITY World Cinema

REALITY opens with a gorgeous aerial shot that follows a beautiful horse-drawn chariot to a wedding celebration where the real guest of honor is surprising, a reality television star. Watching in the wings is Luciano (Aniello Arena) in a clownish drag costume that he dons at family and friends’ weddings. Luciano’s clown would be at home on the stage in a work of commedia dell arte; yet, he is a man uncomfortable in his own skin. The village setting and its archetypes recall Fellini but Garrone’s Naples is thoroughly modern and the story finds its focus in the way it gradually traces the trajectory of Luciano – from a reluctant prospect for a Big Brother style reality show to a man on the verge of insanity because of his obsession with obtaining television celebrity. Garrone gives us an intimate portrait of a charming and respected fishmonger who is transformed into a man who has lost touch with his real life.