The Italian movie Il Bene Mio was shown in the U.S. with the title My Own Good (2018). It was co-written and directed by Pippo Mezzapesa.
Elia (portrayed by Sergio Rubini) is the only man left in his native village. After an earthquake destroyed this small hill village, the municipality moved into a new town in the valley. Everyone who survived the earthquake moved except Elia. He wanders through the village all day, visited occasionally by a woman who was a colleague of his deceased wife. A local tour bus brings tourists to the destroyed village, and he is the star attraction.
It's not as if he has nowhere to go. The mayor has offered him a fine apartment, and the woman offers to join forces with him. His former partner--the tour bus driver--wants to get back together in a partnership.
Elia simply won't leave. He frustrates everyone, including the viewer. He just won't leave.
There's a sub-plot about a young undocumented woman named Noor, played by Sonya Mellah. That plot fills out a movie that would otherwise just be everyone saying yes and Elia saying no.
However, the film really relies on Elia's story. If Elia were played by a mediocre actor, nothing would work. However, Sergio Rubini is a brilliant actor, and he makes the movie a success.
We saw this film as part of the ongoing Italian Film Festival at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre. It will work well enough on the small screen. My Own Good has an adequate IMDb rating of 7.1. I think it's better than that. It's a quirky, unusual movie that's worth seeing.
Elia (portrayed by Sergio Rubini) is the only man left in his native village. After an earthquake destroyed this small hill village, the municipality moved into a new town in the valley. Everyone who survived the earthquake moved except Elia. He wanders through the village all day, visited occasionally by a woman who was a colleague of his deceased wife. A local tour bus brings tourists to the destroyed village, and he is the star attraction.
It's not as if he has nowhere to go. The mayor has offered him a fine apartment, and the woman offers to join forces with him. His former partner--the tour bus driver--wants to get back together in a partnership.
Elia simply won't leave. He frustrates everyone, including the viewer. He just won't leave.
There's a sub-plot about a young undocumented woman named Noor, played by Sonya Mellah. That plot fills out a movie that would otherwise just be everyone saying yes and Elia saying no.
However, the film really relies on Elia's story. If Elia were played by a mediocre actor, nothing would work. However, Sergio Rubini is a brilliant actor, and he makes the movie a success.
We saw this film as part of the ongoing Italian Film Festival at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre. It will work well enough on the small screen. My Own Good has an adequate IMDb rating of 7.1. I think it's better than that. It's a quirky, unusual movie that's worth seeing.