QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM CANNES

Whe iconic Italian heartthrob Marcello Mastroianni married French super-actress Catherine Deneuve in 1970, it seemed like a match from heaven. The perfect union between two countries with a remarkable cinema tradition .Chiara Mastroianni became the only fruit of the surprisingly short relationship. Mastroianni and Deneuve broke up just four years later, and few people can remember the few movies that they made together then.

Chiara Mastroianni (played by herself, as virtually every character in this movie) doesn’t always have it easy. Carrying the weight of two enormously influential parents can have negative repercussions on your identity. Later, a member of the crew asks whether she should resemble her father or her mother, and she abruptly retorts: “I thought I was just Chiara”. Nevertheless, and for no apparent reason, Chiara decides to impersonate her father. She wears a dark suit and hat vaguely resembling Guido Anselmi (Mastroianni’s character in Fellini’s seminal 8 1/2, from 1963). Catherine is unimpressed by the strange combination of electra complex and vicarious narcissism, promptly reminding her daughter: “you’re as much of me as of your father”.

The film takes place between Rome and Paris. It opens with a blonde version of Chiara being filmed inside a cold and windy Trevi Fountain, reenacting the iconic scene from La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960; in which her father starred alongside Swedish actress Anita Ekberg). She is clearly overwhelmed by the giant fan and her inability to hear Nicole Garcia’s directorial instructions. She is not happy with her life and needs to find a new source of excitement. Presumably, her new crossdressing persona allows Chiara some new thrills, and also some soul-searching. Perhaps she is seeking answers – spiritual or practical – that her mother never gave her. Her real motives are never revealed, so your guess as as good as mine. Later, Chiara starts a relationship with a very timid and presumably suicidal British soldier (Hugh Skinner), whom she meets in Paris. A clunky character addition with no clear function.

In addition to Mastroianni and Deneuve, this star-studded drama contains a constellation of household names, thereby emphasising the autofictional quality of the movie. Fabrice Luchini, Nicole Garcia, Melvil Poupaud, Hugh Skinner and even French singer Benjamin Biolay play the extended family, friends and work associates, helping to create a palpable sense of authenticity. The interaction feels natural, and the whole movie has a touch of spontaneity. The outcome is cute and sweet, however mostly unremarkable. This is one of one breezy little movie that will quickly pass you without a lasting impression, taking or leaving anything valuable behind. Unless you are a die-hard fan of Marcello Mastroianni and become entranced by his daughter ‘s nostalgic embodiment of one of the greatest actors of all time. This is not a universal piece of filmmaking, but instead an esoteric affair aimed at a very specific group of cinephiles. Chiara returns to Rome, and the movie wraps up with a rather uneventful friends and family reunion.

Despite having an LGBT+ filmmaker and writer at the helm, someone used to very subversives genders and sexualities at the helm, Marcello Mio does not have the identity movement at its heart. Chiara’s crossdressing is purely connected to her desire to give her father a new lease of life. It is surprising that here are no queer undertones whatsoever. On the other hand, at least one of Honore’s trademarks is all over the film: the deft use of diegetic music, groovy indie tunes played by the movie characters (often in private). Otherwise, this is a pedestrian addition to the extensive filmography of the 54-year-old French director.

Marcello Mio just premiered in the Official Competition of the 77th Cannes International Film Festival.