Dope Mezzanotte by Davide Ferrario

Last night, I had a chance of watching an Italian Movie. The auditorium was full. I watched the entire movie standing in one corner of the auditorium. The movie is brilliantly directed by Davide Ferrario and the movie is "Dope Mezzanotte (2004)" translated loosely as "After Midnight" in English.

The Plot summary is this

In After Midnight, the magical Mole Antonelliana (the cavernous Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy) is the setting and inspiration for a very unlikely love story. One fateful evening, Martino, an avid cinephile and the museum's timid night watchman, comes to the aid of Amanda, an enchanting young fast-food cook on the run from the police after dousing her overbearing boss with hot oil. Martino's dreamy kingdom of silent movie characters becomes a sanctuary for Amanda, as she awaits rescue by her devilish car-jacking boyfriend Angel. Spellbound by the museum, Amanda develops a surprising romantic connection with Martino, who until now has only found companionship in his celluloid dreams. Torn between her newfound feelings for Martino and her troubled relationship with the irresistible Angel, Amanda attempts to balance the affections of her two suitors.

Misadventure and chaos ensue as the characters become embroiled in this dubious love triangle. Infused with humor, intelligence, and passion, After Midnight is a masterful homage to the silent movie era. Ferrario's daring visual choices and unconventional storytelling make for a charming celebration of love and cinema.

More than the story, it was brilliantly weaved story with Silent movies as part of storytelling, along with our present talkies. What I am more & more seeing in all these European films is that they like to "live" rather than doing work to live. I may be wrong also here. They don't damn care about sex. They value love most. Human relationships takes a greater emphasis in any one's life.

This movie filled with a sarcastic comedy thruout. Btw, the cinema museum at Turin is fantastic.

Btw, if you are in Chennai and interested in International movies ( i.e, not your regular muscle fisting, hollywood action movies) there is an International Film Festival starts from 17th Dec. 2004 and runs for 10 days. About 90 movies are scheduled to be screened in Pilot & Anand Theater parallely. Mail me if you require any details.