Italian, The

Dino Fabrizzi is a successful car dealer in Nice. He is living a so-to-seem perfect life – he will be potentially offered a senior position in his company, his girlfriend Hélène makes it known that she intends to marry him. But this perfect life is shadowed by a secret, another life – no one knows that his real name is Mourad Ben Saoud and that he is in fact a Muslim. He would have been able to go on with this harmless deceit were it not for the fact that he has promised his father to celebrate Ramadan this year. After some research about Islam Dino finds out what he has to give up for his father. Will Ramadan mean finding or losing something valuable for Dino?

Film is looking at some nowaday’s problems – unemployment, immigration. The unemployment rate in France is hovering at 10%, it is said to be double that figure in the poorer city suburbs and among immigrants. The movie is not accusing France of being racist, but it does open eyes to how complicated it can be integrating into French society – even when you are French.

THE ITALIAN is looking into a serious matter of national and cultural identity through humor. But for some, this movie might turn out to be quite frustrating.