Capsule Review: Welcome Presidente! (Benvenuto Presidente!)

by allan tong for FILMbutton

Italy is a mess and everybody blames the politicians. It’s so bad that nobody wants to be presidente, so mountain villager Giuseppe is blindly chosen. A good-hearted fellow who stages family plays at the library (until the regional council closes it) and cooks fish for the locals, Giuseppe is hurled into politics overnight. His sweet, naïve nature clashes with the corrupt reality of the legislature, and the results are comic. Welcome President is predictable and the comedy is broad, but it is a funny, entertaining romp. It works because at its heart lies satire, reflecting Italy’s sincere disillusionment with its elected leaders.

ICFF Screening Times: June 26, 7:00 pm / June 30, 5:00 pm / July 4, 7:30 pm

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.

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