Mafioso

Antonio is a foreman at a factory in Milan. He is good-natured, hardworking and orderly. Taking his annual leave, he travels with his northern wife and two daughters to the Sicilian village where he was born. The family welcomes him, the village is familiar, the food is plentiful and the days are long. Then he is reminded of a promise made years ago. Antonio cannot refuse, because he knows what refusing means. Alberto Lattuada's film proceeds for its first half like a family comedy: the differences between north and south, the crowd of relatives, the misread daughter-in-law. Then the tone changes without warning and the film becomes something else. That shift is the most talked-about thing about it. Alberto Sordi plays Antonio. Forgotten for years, the film was later restored and released again, and reassessed within Italian cinema. Who it's for: Viewers who like Italian cinema, films that change tone at the midpoint, and mafia narratives. Who it's not for: The comedy of the first half catches an unprepared viewer off guard. The women also stay at the edge of the narrative.