TWITTER From its Wes Anderson-esque storybook beginning, In Search of Fellini is a surreal tale of how our heroine “Lucy” (Ksenia Solo) grapples with grief, growing up, and finding herself, against the backdrop of Federico Fellini’s film aesthetics and her mother’s battle with cancer. Ksenia Solo plays Lucy, a blonde waif raised by a mother (Maria Bello's Claire) who protected her from nearly every harsh reality life has to offer. There’s an immersive nature to the entire film; by the end, you’ll feel as though you too have traveled through Italy, collecting postcards in Rome, Venice, and Verona. This is the story of a young woman, Lucy and her self-discovery as she navigates life and the world. In Search of Fellini was beautifully done. Read full review Read full review by Composer: David Camptbell Lucy, a small-town girl from Ohio, discovers the delightfully bizarre films of legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini and sets off on a journey across Italy to find him. Casting directors: Lisa London, Catherine Stroud. The movie can shift unevenly from effusive love letter to travel lust to sentimental moment, but that doesn’t break the fantasy. Fellini used nostalgia to point out something about ourselves; Mr. Lexton uses it to remind us of Fellini’s films. The cinematography is breathtaking and left me wanting to hop on a plane to Italy. The quasi-magical realist film “In Search of Fellini” has its heart in the right place but wears its studied quirks on its sleeve, leading with influences and references rather than a strong story. ‘In Search of Fellini’ On Netflix: Watch The Nostalgic Coming-Of-Age Adventure Now. | EU Privacy Preferences. Is it impossible to believe she is offered a personal audience with il maestro at 3 p.m. the following day? Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. She falls hard for Fellini, gathering a stack of VHS tapes (the year is 1993) and absorbing the weird circus of his worldview. Terms of Use | She meets an approachably handsome artist in Verona and is tastefully deflowered; she is sold rum bonbons by a shopkeeper who suggestively boasts, "It is said that I have the sweetest balls in Verona.". After she sees the magnificent La … AdChoices IN SEARCH OF FELLINI. Directed by Taron Lexton. Peter Arpesella as Fellini's assistant was also very well done. In Search of Fellini follows the story of Lucy (Ksenia Solo), a 20-year-old who has never really experienced adult life because of the overbearing parenting style of her snakebit-by-the-world mother Claire (Maria Bello). Director: Taron Lexton Instead, it’s a joyful movie, and the lack of refinement, whether embodied by the overuse of Fellini clips or the lack of juicy material for Bello and Rajskub to sink their teeth into, shows without stymying the movie’s intentions as a love note to its namesake. Metacritic rated it 55 based on five critics [3] Monica Castillo of the New York Times called it "a charming drama about the love of movies and youthful passion". Ksenia Solo plays the sheltered young woman Lucy on an Italian adventure in “In Search of Fellini.” Left, Enrico Oetiker as Pietro. In Search Of Fellini (2017) 0 By The Mad Movie Man on May 12, 2018 2017 , 8 - 10 , 90-99 mins , Drama , May 18 , Movies Of 2018 , Review , United States In Search of Fellini doesn't need all that because it has a whole lot more going for it. Distributor: AMBI Media Group After her mother (Maria Bello) falls ill, Lucy finds solace at a festival of Fellini films and discovers movies with dark endings and sexual scenes that she had never seen before. The only really bad thing that happens to Lucy in Italy, in fact, occurs during a cross-cut montage that seems to inadvertently hint it is just a figment of her ailing mother's imagination. Review: Love of Il Maestro Drives ‘In Search of Fellini’ Ksenia Solo plays the sheltered young woman Lucy on an Italian adventure in “In Search of Fellini.” Left, Enrico Oetiker as Pietro. Sitemap | Director of photography: Kevin Garrison The transformational vacations that didn't kill us or leave us with herpes can feel more charmed than they were after a couple of decades have passed. But however much its sentimentalized innocence stretches credulity, the overall production remains polished, and young dreamers who come across it in limited release may well embrace it. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is a registered trademark of The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Claire fails to protect Lucy from art house cinema, though: Upon stumbling into a screening of La Strada, Lucy sees a kindred spirit in sacrificial lamb Giulietta Masina. “In Search of Fellini” reimagines a whirlwind adventure Ms. Cartwright once had to try to meet the Italian director Federico Fellini. With Ksenia Solo, Maria Bello, Jay Kunzi, Enrico Oetiker. With the help of her longtime collaborator and co-writer, Peter Kjenaas, and the first-time director Taron Lexton, Ms. Cartwright creates a Felliniesque fantasy of her own. She resolves to find the man of her cinematic dreams in Italy. Cast: Ksenia Solo, Maria Bello, Mary Lynn Rajskub Review by FF2 Contributor Giorgi Plys-Garzotto. But we've already made it through a scene in which Lucy submitted a job application on which she drew a unicorn where she was supposed to write her name and address, so let's roll with it. And as we see unfold, life really IS a Fellini movie; from life and death to love and sorrow and everything in between. But `Fellini Satyricon' is a masterpiece all the same, and films that dare everything cannot please everybody." Lucy (Ksenia Solo) is a young, naive woman who stumbles upon a film festival playing a series of Federico Fellini films. Review: In Search of Fellini In Search of Fellini stars an always fabulous Ksenia Solo as a shy, over-protected, young woman from Ohio who discovers the films of Federico Fellini and leaves for Italy with the intention of meeting him. Claire tells Lucy she can't accompany her to Italy. Katherine Szabo cryptic rock, CrypticRock, Movie reviews, News, Reviews 0 Comments. It’s that delicate dose of daft — just shy of cloying — that lets … Production designer: Todd Jeffery | California Privacy Rights ‘In Search of Fellini’: Film Review by AMBI admin September 12, 2017 Taron Lexton’s sentimental road movie recounts a formative real(ish)-life vacation for screenwriter (and voice of … Where the final minutes of the movie suffer from clumsy storytelling, most of what precedes them sits well within the romantic finding-oneself comfort zone, and Solo, while not able to imbue her character with Amelie-like spark, helps keep things from getting treacly. By the end, the movie's prefatory "based on a (mostly) true story" claim has come to sound like more of a stretch than usual, but such is memory. Claire fails to protect Lucy from art house cinema, though: Upon stumbling into a screening of La Strada, Lucy sees a kindred spirit in sacrificial lamb Giulietta Masina. "Fellini Satyricon" was released in 1970, and I was ready for it: "Some will say it is a bloody, depraved, disgusting film," I wrote in a fever. Review: Love of Il Maestro Drives ‘In Search of Fellini’, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/movies/in-search-of-fellini-review.html. In this coming-of-age adventure, Lucy (Ksenia Solo), a small-town girl from Ohio, discovers the delightfully bizarre films of the legendary Italian filmmaker, Federico Fellini and sets off on a journey across Italy to find him. In Search of Fellini isn’t a sophisticated movie. Production company: Spotted Cow Entertainment Especially if they involved plentiful pasta and a first encounter with 8½. In the movie, Lucy (Ksenia Solo) is a sheltered 20-year-old who inherited her mother’s idealistic view of romance and appreciation of feel-good movies. Lucy doesn't know what Aunt Carrie (Mary Lynn Rajskub) has sworn not to reveal: Claire is dying of cancer, and hopes this solo voyage will get her daughter used to the idea of surviving outside the nest. FACEBOOK Much like a Fellini film, we see humanity and life under unique lenses which just strengthen our own individual journeys and examinations of our own human condition and the idea of daring to dream. September 18, 2017 In Search of Fellini (Movie Review) Posted at 12:36h. Instead, it’s a joyful movie, and the lack of refinement, whether embodied by the overuse of Fellini clips or the lack of juicy material for Bello and Rajskub to sink their teeth into, shows without stymying the movie’s intentions as a love note to its namesake. Screenwriters: Nancy Cartwright, Peter Kjenaas The newly devoted fan picks up a phone, asks for directory assistance in Rome and is connected to Fellini's office. 1:00 AM PDT 9/12/2017 In Search of Fellini is rife with imagery that reference Fellini’s works and rich visual style, but it’s enjoyable for Fellini-first timers and superfans alike. Producers: Nancy Cartwright, Peter Kjenaas, Monica Gil, Michael Doven, Taron Lexton, Nathan Lorch, Milena Ferreira Search of Fellini is a odd little indie move which has its heart in the right place but absolutely falters as an experience. Editors: Alexa Vier, K. Spencer Jones Movie Review: “In Search of Fellini” finds whimsy, if few laughs Posted on January 15, 2018 by Roger Moore Of all the attributes to strive to give your comic film, “twee” is the hardest to pull off. Every moment of the actors' lines and scenes were authentic. EMAIL ME “In Search of Fellini” is overflowing with characters, locations and visual cues to the director’s classics, like “La Dolce Vita,” “8 ½” and “Nights of Cabiria.” Fans who refer to Fellini as Il Maestro may delight in these references, but several cues and cameos are followed by a scene or poster of the cited movie, so as not to exclude the rest of the audience. Inspired by the experiences of The Simpsons star Nancy Cartwright, who before creating the voice of Bart went off hunting the auteur of La Dolce Vita, it marks the thesp's first screenplay (co-written by another newbie, Peter Kjenaas). | Do Not Sell My Personal Information An idealized coming-of-age memoir in which a young woman's disability-grade innocence doesn't keep her from making the most of a solo sojourn across Italy, Taron Lexton's In Search of Fellini speaks to and for women raised on cinematic fairy tales. Lucy, whose wide-eyed naïveté is modeled after Giulietta Masina’s character in “La Strada,” isn’t the only reference to Fellini’s movies. As of June 2020, In Search of Fellini holds an 89% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on nine reviews with an average rating of 6.05/10. With all the hallmarks of a Fellini film itself, from interpretive and metaphoric visuals to story, the structure of the film interlaces Fellini films with our heroine Lucy’s journey through life as she lives out her fantasies of what she believes the world is thanks to Fellini’s lens. Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson on the long-running animated television series, has made her first movie as a screenwriter and producer, a charming drama about the love of movies and youthful passion. In Search of Fellini isn’t a sophisticated movie. In Search of Fellini Trailer #1 (2017): Check out the new trailer starring Maria Bello, Ksenia Solo, Mary Lynn Rajskub! 3.0 out of 5 stars but having never liked Fellini movies Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018 Captivating, artsy, wide eyed innocence, mostly filmed in lovely Italy, but having never liked Fellini movies, raucous debauchery, vacuously depressing, at least to me, this film didn't do that much for me overall, and I felt drained afterwards actually. Privacy Policy | The entire cast did very well in their roles, from the film extras to the lead roles. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for In Search of Fellini at Amazon.com. Perhaps. "Indeed, people by the dozens were escaping from the sneak preview I attended. Costume designers: Sienna Kay, Catherine Buyse Dian YOUTUBE. In Search Of Fellini Movie Review & Showtimes: Find details of In Search Of Fellini along with its showtimes, movie review, trailer, teaser, full video songs, showtimes and cast. A nostalgia-drenched coming-of-age tale that will convince only the most romantic moviegoers. THR Staff Executive producers: Nancy Cartwright, Kevin J. Burke, Maria Bello, Monika Bacardi, Andrewa Iervolino The pretty American fares much better than a world traveler who does this many things wrong has any right to expect. A film full of heart, In Search of Fellini tells the story of Lucy (Ksenia Solo: Black Swan 2010, Orphan Black series), a 20-year-old girl who has been sheltered from life’s hard lessons by her mother and only friend, Claire (Maria Bello: … Ksenia Solo was a delight to watch as the isolated, painfully shy, innocent, and vulnerable Lucy. All rights reserved. She winds up in the wrong city not once but twice, losing all her luggage, but falls in with glamorous companions and is wowed by lushly photographed sights. Lucy (Solo) is naive in the extreme. 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