Weekly Dose of Italian Culture #4

Welcome to the fourth episode of the Weekly Dose of Italian Culture! As usual, we’ll explore a famous Italian movie, song, and personality. We’ll then continue with some facts about Italy’s geography, history, and customs.

Italian Movie of the Week

My pick for this week is Quo Vado? (broken Latin for “where do I go?”) a hilarious comedy from 2016.

Quo Vado? (2016)

This movie perfectly captures many Italian stereotypes and exaggerates them for comedic effect. For example, the protagonist refuses to give up his posto fisso (a secure job from which it's hard to be fired) and accepts increasingly ridiculous assignments across Europe in order to keep it. He even ends up at the North Pole, where he meets his romantic interest; a relationship that, of course, changes his perspective on many things.

Checco Zalone is a controversial figure in Italy. As an actor and comedian, he embodies the stereotype of a crass, ignorant southerner but uses irony to criticize the subjects he addresses. He often portrays talentless characters in his movies, but in reality, he is highly intelligent, educated, and talented (he’s also a great musician).

Some people dislike him for these coarse portrayals, while others, including myself, absolutely love his comedy.

Italian Song of the Week

The song of the week is il filo rosso (the red thread) by Alfa.

This song was actually just released this Friday, but it went viral online well before its release, as the artist involved the community in creating part of its lyrics.

Aside from being a catchy tune, this song talks about the invisible but powerful bond that connects people, symbolized by a "red thread." In il filo rosso, Alfa touches upon topics such as love, separation, and the power of human connection, even when life circumstances create a (literal) distance between us.

Famous Italian of the Week

This week’s famous Italian is Marcello Mastroianni.