Me, the Other
Io, l'Altro

Italy, 2007, 88 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Drama, Foreign, Political, Social Issues
Program: Contemporary World Cinema
Language: Italian English Subtitles

DIRECTOR: Mohsen Melliti
Producer: Maurizio Santarelli
Editor: Marco Spoletini
Screenwriter: Mohsen Melliti, Sigalot Alessandro, Saverio Di Biagio
Cinematographer: Maurizio Calvesi
Principal Cast: Raoul Bova, Giovanni Martorana, Mario Pupella

Tunisian-born director Moshen Melliti's astounding feature debut could only have been made in the post-9/11 era of the war on terror, as what seems at first to be a buddy flick about two simple fishermen evolves into a paranoid thriller.

Ever since Tunisian immigrant Youssef arrived in Sicily to take a job on the same fishing boat as local boy Guiseppe, the two have been friends. After toiling for years under a harshly demanding Mafioso boss, they finally amassed the funds to buy their own boat; now they spend their days working the Mediterranean waters together, living out a fairly sheltered life. Until, that is, two airplanes crash into the Twin Towers – and doubt and fear begin to permeate the atmosphere, even in their remote corner of the world. The apprehension only builds when news of the 2004 Madrid bombings breaks.

One day, after setting sail to haul in the daily catch, Giuseppe hears on the radio that a search has launched for a terrorist with the same name as Youssef – and suspicion immediately takes hold. Having considered themselves brothers for so long, they suddenly detect in each other something sinister, and what once seemed like minor character differences begin to develop into powerful opposing forces – just as what once felt like freedom on the open sea now feels as claustrophobic as a prison in the middle of nowhere.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

In person – Giovanni Martorana