The French film "Il est plus facile pour un chameau. . " was shown in the U.S. with the translated title "It's Easier for a Camel... (2003). It was co-written and directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Tedeschi also stars in the movie.
You have to accept the basic premise that Federica (Tedeschi) is awash in guilt because she's rich. In fact, the title of the film is derived from the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Jesus told a young, rich man that it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to paradise. Federica goes to a priest to confess that she's guilty of being rich, and he quotes this Gospel passage.
Tedeschi--who was, indeed, raised as a rich child--directs herself as a very insecure, timid woman, who lacks confidence in her own abilities. This is in contrast to Chiara Mastroianni, who plays her sister Bianca. Bianca is always on the verge of hysteria, but she has plenty of confidence.
Flawed protagonists can make a plot interesting. Tedeschi almost gets there, but for me Federica is not really someone I could care about. All this money, and no creative way to spend it. In fact, the only person with whom I really identified in the movie was Federica's lawyer, portrayed by Souzan Chirazi. She tells Federica, "If you have too much money, start a hospital in Africa."
However, Federica would never get her act together to do anything that practical. She loves her dance class, she (sort of) loves her partner and also her former lover, she deals with her sick father and the rest of her family, and she continually visits the priest, until he tells her that he's a priest, not a psychologist.
We saw this film on the small screen, where it worked very well. It has a dreadful IMDb rating of 5.6. It's not a great movie, but it's not that bad. I gave it a 7. If you're looking for a unusual film, with an unusual protagonist, you could do worse.
You have to accept the basic premise that Federica (Tedeschi) is awash in guilt because she's rich. In fact, the title of the film is derived from the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. Jesus told a young, rich man that it's easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to paradise. Federica goes to a priest to confess that she's guilty of being rich, and he quotes this Gospel passage.
Tedeschi--who was, indeed, raised as a rich child--directs herself as a very insecure, timid woman, who lacks confidence in her own abilities. This is in contrast to Chiara Mastroianni, who plays her sister Bianca. Bianca is always on the verge of hysteria, but she has plenty of confidence.
Flawed protagonists can make a plot interesting. Tedeschi almost gets there, but for me Federica is not really someone I could care about. All this money, and no creative way to spend it. In fact, the only person with whom I really identified in the movie was Federica's lawyer, portrayed by Souzan Chirazi. She tells Federica, "If you have too much money, start a hospital in Africa."
However, Federica would never get her act together to do anything that practical. She loves her dance class, she (sort of) loves her partner and also her former lover, she deals with her sick father and the rest of her family, and she continually visits the priest, until he tells her that he's a priest, not a psychologist.
We saw this film on the small screen, where it worked very well. It has a dreadful IMDb rating of 5.6. It's not a great movie, but it's not that bad. I gave it a 7. If you're looking for a unusual film, with an unusual protagonist, you could do worse.