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Pierfrancesco Diliberto (a renowned TV host and political comedian, better known as Pif) wrote, directed, and stars in this subversive, irreverent feature debut about Arturo, a young boy whose obsession with the Mafia's casual presence in his city of Palermo surpasses even his passion for Flora, the beautiful schoolmate who remains his main love interest until adulthood. Pif uses Arturo's unrequited love story as the vehicle to narrate the most tragic events in Italy's recent history, starting with the Cosa Nostra's criminal actions in Sicily in the '70s, which soon spread through the country (encompassing the barbaric murder of judges Falcone and Borsellino, an event that Pif handles with astounding boldness). THE MAFIA KILLS ONLY IN SUMMER spans 20 years of a life filled with passion and laughter and is a brave and intelligent dark comedy with a powerful message.
"Terrific! Negotiates the delicate balance between humor and emotion. Clever, powerful, poignant… Remarkable."—Variety
"Impressive. Engrossing, irreverent and charming."—The Hollywood Reporter
"A buoyant farce that skewers Palermo's mafia infestation-scathingly, uproariously, with great comic verve. A political comedy that seems at once tremendously funny and intensely serious—a provocative, and perhaps even important, combination."—The Village Voice
"A brave and intelligent dark comedy-powerful!"—Film Society of Lincoln Center
"A potent and distinguished directorial debut—a genuinely funny and snappily edited romantic comedy.—The Sunday Times
"A film of bravery and defiance. A free-wheeling, kaleidoscopic, Forrest Gumpish odyssey... [that] is both an innocent love story and a skilful inquiry into the culpability, or not, of all Sicilians in their predicament. The bold mixture of innocence and outrage, fantasy and fact, makes the film unpredictable, utterly fresh. If you know this history, you recognise these names; if not, it may seem like an unlikely (and bloody) tall story. As the car bombs become too loud, the tone changes and the film becomes like a documentary, in which we are now heavily invested. Pif has made us all locals. It's brilliant: cleverly controlled and executed."—The Sydney Morning Herald
Citation
Main credits
Diliberto, Pierfrancesco (screenwriter)
Diliberto, Pierfrancesco (film director)
Diliberto, Pierfrancesco (actor)
Mieli, Lorenzo (film producer)
Gianani, Mario (film producer)
Astori, Michele (screenwriter)
Martani, Marco (screenwriter)
Capotondi, Cristiana (actor)
Antona, Ginevra (actor)
Bisconti, Alex (actor)
Other credits
Director of photography, Roberto Forza; editor, Cristiano Travaglioli; music, Santi Pulvirenti.
