Mia Madre (Nanni Moretti, 2015)

Italian writer-director-actor Moretti has often used himself as the basis of his gentle ponderings on life, but here withdraws into a supporting role to give centre stage to a female director whose ailing mother is on her way out, while having to deal with the foibles of an American star actor on her latest production and her other relationship problems. The fact that the character is essentially unsympathetic due to railing against everyone and everything isn't the problem, as her reaction to the pressure is quite feasible, but the fact that the film ultimately says very little of importance is, and John Turturro's semi-comic turn as the vain and buffoonish actor seems to have been shoehorned in just because they managed to get a Hollywood star who could actually speak Italian. Not Moretti's most substantial or coherent work.

5/10