Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy (2012)

Directed by: Marco Tullio Giordana
Country: Italy / France

Review: Marco Tullio Giordana, the director of 2003 masterpiece “The Best of Youth”, returns after a four-year intermission with “Piazza Fontana”, a political thriller about the bombing attack that took place in Milan, on December 12, 1969. This tragic event was initially attributed to anarchist groups, but meticulous investigations led to a right-wing conspiracy, involving extremists secretly backed up by the US. Consequently, the film covers the death of Giuseppe Pinelli, a pacific anarchist who died in questionable circumstances when was being interrogated in a police station. Luigi Calabresi, an honest police officer, was the man unjustly blamed, becoming another victim of the Italian Ministry. Some viewers may become lost in a plot with so many characters, although Giordana has found an appropriate structure, capable of making the events perceptible. The conversations between Prime Minister Aldo Moro and President Saragat were also helpful to contextualize the story. “Piazza Fontana”, despite some lack of thrill, is intriguing and well balanced in its path towards the truth. It won’t mark the Italian cinema in the same proportion as “The Best Of Youth” did, but at least will serve to denounce another criminal ploy associated to politics, eventually disregarded by Italian justice.