Weekend films

"Bartali's bicycle', a committed and touching animated film

At the cinema the feature film by Israel Cesare Moscati, directed by Enrico Paolantonio, voice of Tullio Solenghi and an original song performed by Noa

by Andrea Chimento

1 August 2024

3' min read

Key points

An ode to friendship
The Well

3' min read

Animated films and summer often go hand in hand, as the extraordinary and continuing success of 'Inside Out 2' proves.

While waiting for the highly anticipated 'Cattivissimo Me 4' to be released at the end of August, an animated feature film very different from those of the big star productions arrived in our cinemas this week: 'La bicicletta di Bartali' is a co-production between Italy, India and Ireland, which is the brainchild of director Israel Cesare Moscati (who passed away in 2019 and to whose memory the film is dedicated), author of texts and documentaries on the Nazi-fascist persecution of the Roman Jewish community.

Directed by Enrico Paolantonio, this film features the bicycle with which Gino Bartali carried false documents to save hundreds of Jews from Nazi-fascist barbarism in the Tuscany of 1943-44. In Jerusalem, sixty years later, Bartali's bicycle becomes the symbol of the adventure of David, a young Jewish cyclist who befriends Ibrahim, an Arab boy with whom he establishes a strong complicity and dreams of winning a cycling championship, breaking the rules but bringing peace and tolerance to their respective communities. The path will not be without obstacles, but through sport the two young friends will learn mutual respect, collaboration, sacrifice, recognising each other and building a deep bond capable of overcoming the divisions imposed by society.

Presented in competition at last week's Giffoni Film Festival, this feature film relies on an animation that is perhaps simpler than that of the aforementioned films (also considering the difference in budget available), but equally capable of impressing young and old alike with its graphic care and striking backdrops.

An ode to friendship

More than the aesthetic aspect, however, what counts above all is the content of this training course that combines past and present, looking to the future with a certain optimism.

Through sport, this hymn to friendship is defined, about two kids of different religions but united by the same passion and able to act as a symbol for seemingly impossible bonds.

There are a few lapses in pace and a couple of overly rhetorical passages during the viewing, but the messages are incisive and the characters, both main and secondary, constructed with good sensitivity.

It should be noted that the closing song is written and performed by Noa, an internationally renowned Israeli artist who has always been committed to promoting dialogue and Peace. Another curiosity: giving the voice to the character of Gino Bartali is the actor and comedian from theatre and television, Tullio Solenghi.

“La bicicletta di Bartali” e gli altri film della settimana
Photogallery4 foto

The Well

Like animation, the horror genre is also a widely distributed strand in the summer months: this week, for instance, sees the release of 'The Well', the fifth feature film directed by Federico Zampaglione and the third horror film, after 'Shadow' (2009) and 'Tulpa' (2013).

At the centre of the story is Lisa Gray, a young American art restorer who arrives in a small Italian village with the task of restoring a very old painting to its former glory. Little does she know that by accepting the task, she has put her life in danger: the painting, in fact, is cursed and is connected to a mysterious creature.

The plot alone is enough to understand how many inspirations underlie this feature film: first and foremost Pupi Avati's 'The House with the Laughing Windows', but also other Italian genre authors such as Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci, who are strongly referred to in several passages of the film.

You can feel that Zampaglione loves the history of Italian horror cinema, but he still manages to offer something different and interesting, without repeating too many situations already seen. The operation is intriguing, even if it falls a lot at a distance and the conclusion does not live up to the first part of the film. There is probably too much meat on the fire that makes the screenplay a little cumbersome, but for lovers of the genre it is nevertheless worth a viewing, also thanks to the disturbing atmospheres that accompany the film for almost its entire duration.