Caterina in the Big City

An Italian film about a girl who moves to Rome. Caterina grew up in a small town. Her father is a teacher, and when he finds a post in the capital the family moves. The new school is not like the one at home. The class is split in two: on one side the children of left-wing intellectuals, on the other the children of families close to the government. Caterina joins one group, then the other. Each takes her up for a while and then drops her. The real subject is the father. He tries to use his daughter's new circle for his own career; he researches who the other parents are and looks for a way to get the book he has been writing for years read by someone. He is angry, aggrieved and permanently convinced he has been wronged. The narrative satirises both groups. Each side uses its children in the same way and Caterina is left in between. Alice Teghil plays Caterina, Sergio Castellitto her father and Margherita Buy her mother. Paolo Virzì directed. The film won awards in Italy and was much argued about in the political climate of its time. A well-aimed example for anyone who likes Italian comedy drama and social satire. For a viewer expecting a light film about teenagers, the weight of the narrative is with the adults.