The Inner Cage

An old prison is being closed and the inmates moved elsewhere, but the transfer of the last twelve is postponed on an administrative technicality. What remains is a few guards and those twelve men, with the power cut, the kitchen shut and nobody knowing how long they will be there. The only way to eat is for one of the prisoners to cook and for everyone to eat at the same table. Leonardo Di Costanzo does not build an escape story; where the institution has emptied out he shows how thin the thing both sides' roles rest on actually is. Toni Servillo plays the guard and Silvio Orlando the prisoner, and their scenes together are the spine. The empty wings and the sound design make the waiting physical. Who it is for: viewers who like Italian cinema and confined drama. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for incident, since the film is almost entirely about waiting.