The Great Ambition: Enrico Berlinguer, the Necessary Communist (***)

Not so long ago, in 2022, it was Marco Bellocchio who was drawing attention (once again) to the event that, in his opinion, changed everything: the assassination of Christian Democrat Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades in May 1978. His monumental series "Exterior Noite" continued his investigation of the same event begun in the film "Good Morning, Night Long Ago." According to the Italian director, the conservative politician's death not only ended what was going to be the greatest political experiment, let's call it that, that a Europe divided into two blocs could have ever experienced. It also, in his opinion, ended the very concept of politics as a useful exercise for society and put an end to the idea of political parties serving the common good. Not to be missed, the Christian and personal friend of Pope Paul VI, Aldo Moro, was the only one in his party to support the communist Enrico Berlinguer's idea of the Historic Compromise, which meant de facto the solidarity of communists and Christian Democrats in the government in the face of the evident economic, social, and political crisis.

Well, The Great Ambition, by documentary filmmaker Andrea Segre, focuses on the same moment in the history of Italy and the world, but from the other side of the table. This time, it's the charismatic Berlinguer who guides the steps of a story that speaks of dialogue between adversaries, of understanding in a polarized world, of comprehension, of what is now called empathy, of disagreement with common opinions (because they are vulgar), of courage, of elegance, and, as has been said, of useful and therefore necessary politics. More pertinent arguments could be put forward right now, but it takes a while to find them.

True to form, the fine observer Segre lets the film's moral and aesthetic temperature be dictated by period images, documents that shape not so much the space of reality, but rather the place where the memory of that same reality resides. Nuance matters. From a tightly packed collection of historical moments, from the demonstrations, proclamations, rallies, and strikes of that time, The Great Ambition crafts, in docudrama form, a kind of biopic without offending, a historical drama without exaggeration. Once again, Elio Germano's perfect performance in the role of the diminutive communist with the gigantic soul is surprising , and the reckless magnitude of a failure that still hurts and, for whatever reason, seems exactly the same fiasco we are dealing with today is moving.

The Great Ambition runs across the screen like a kind of hypnotic elegy, like a tragic poem, like a premonition dictated from the past to warn us of a future that smells and hurts like the present. In its studious shorthand modesty, few films can be imagined that are more accurate, more timely, more tragic.

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Directed by : Andrea Segre. Starring : Elio Germano, Paolo Pierobon, Roberto Citran, Stefano Abbati. Running time : 123 minutes. Nationality : Italian.