Happy as Lazzaro

2018 dramedy

Rating: 15/20

Plot: A farmhand has some experiences.

"Mama, Lazzaro's staring into the void again."
"Go and shake him."

As a human being who frequently stares off into the void, I can easily connect with the titular Gumpian farmhand. I connected with the film as a whole, but I'm the type of guy who enjoys virtually plotless character studies where you really don't learn anything at all about the character. It's a quiet movie where things happen, and it's up to you as the viewer to decide what's significant and what's just happening. An Irving-esque twist midway through baffles and adds a little bit of magic to this story that I didn't even realize was a fairy tale.

I suspect there's some social commentary with Alice Rohrwacher's film, but I don't feel like I have the cultural experience to really latch onto any of that. I didn't need it anyway, probably because I can stare into the void.

This is the second movie in a row that I watched where the main character is seen on the poster staring directly at me. Hey, maybe that means I'm the void. That's not a good feeling at all. This is also the second Netflix-released movie that I've seen this year where wolves are important. This is a lot better than Hold the Dark.