Two outsiders try to escape the limitations of their environment in Emanuele Crialese’s vibrant family drama. Penélope Cruz lights up the screen as Clara Borghetti, a Spanish expat, and an exuberant, impulsive, and at times somewhat manic mother to three children in Rome in the 1970s. Clara and her husband Felice (Vincenzo Amato) have just moved the family into one of the city’s newly constructed apartment buildings; trapped in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful and abusive husband, Clara focuses her attention on her children, injecting as much joy and frivolity into their lives as she can muster. Her eldest child Adri (Luana Giuliani) identifies as Andrew, much to his father’s disapproval and the incomprehension of his siblings. Drawing from autobiographical elements, Crialese delivers an indelible portrait of a mother and child at odds with the expectations of society.

Notes by David O’Mahony

Age recommended: 15+