Name: Spettacolo
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2017-03-12T01:54:59-08:00
Rating: 92

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Movie Info

Villagers in a tiny Tuscan town come up with a remarkable way to confront their issues: they turn their lives into a play. Every summer, their piazza becomes a stage and residents of all ages play a part -- the role of themselves. Monticchiello's annual tradition has attracted worldwide attention and kept the town together for 50 years, but with an aging population and a future generation more interested in Facebook than farming, the town's 50th anniversary performance might be its last.

Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

Italian
Director:

Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen
Producer:

Jeff Malmberg, Matt Radecki, Chris Shellen
Release Date (Theaters):

Sep 6, 2017 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Feb 22, 2018
Runtime:

1h 31m
Production Co:

Open Face

Cast & Crew

Jeff Malmberg
Director

Chris Shellen
Director

Jeff Malmberg
Producer

Matt Radecki
Producer

Chris Shellen
Producer

Lele Marchitelli
Original Music

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News & Interviews for Spettacolo

Critics’ Choice Documentary Award Winners

Critics’ Choice Documentary Award Nominations

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Critic Reviews for Spettacolo

All Critics (26) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (2)

Spettacolo serves as a hymn to the creative process, but also as a eulogy of sorts to the let's-put-on-a-show spirit of pre-digital times. Come for the drama, stay for the gorgeous scenery.

February 8, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

Peter Howell
Toronto Star
An engaging and wistful look at the tiny Tuscan village of Monticchielo and its longtime tradition of producing "autodramas," works crafted by, starring and thematically inspired by its residents.

September 28, 2017 | Full Review…

Gary Goldstein
Los Angeles Times
[An] engaging documentary ...

September 8, 2017 | Full Review…

Mark Jenkins
NPR
Spettacolo stands as a testament to making art in the face of general indifference and worldly decline, and the belief that a can-do spirit and deep-seated cynicism are not mutually exclusive ideas.

September 5, 2017 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Vikram Murthi
AV Club
We sense the pride these people take in this work. One of the film's most beautiful passages is a montage of different townsfolk - a teacher, a woman hanging laundry, a clerk behind a desk - practicing their lines as they go about their day.

September 5, 2017 | Full Review…

Bilge Ebiri
Village Voice
It feels wrong, almost insulting, to call "Spettacolo" charming, even if the movie is often delightful.

September 5, 2017 | Full Review…

Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Moving, maddening, heroic, tragic, enlightening, revelatory, timely and steeped in time, sad yet bursting with mirth, Spettacolo is without doubt, in many ways and on many levels, consummate spectacle.

February 8, 2020 | Full Review…

Paul D'Agostino
Hyperallergic
Spettacolo is a cautionary tale for the American arts community, offering an example of what can happen when populist art is marginalized and threatened by the very people who stand to benefit most from it.

February 8, 2020 | Full Review…

Jon Hogan
Hyperallergic
Inspiring film about small town villagers working towards a common artistic vision, but an unfortunately rushed climax and a missed opportunity to memorialize their performances.

April 25, 2019 | Full Review…

Michael McNeely
That Shelf
While it's increasingly saddening in "Spettacolo" to consider that a place as unique as this tight-knit community isn't immune to such concerns, to see the amateur dramatists forge ahead is equally if not more invigorating.

November 1, 2018 | Full Review…

Stephen Saito
Moveable Fest
A beautiful, melancholic rumination on the struggle to preserve cultural tradition in the face of modern economic forces.

February 9, 2018 | Full Review…

Liam Lacey
Original Cin
Spettacolo may not have the structural ingenuity of the filmmakers' previous work, but as a contemplation of identity and the value and comfort people find in telling their own stories, it makes for an engaging, entirely absorbing experience.

February 8, 2018 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Norman Wilner
NOW Toronto