Nico Cirasola’s film, sold as a documentary but more of a fictional take on a real story, sounded like it had potential. You see, Cirasola was going to enlighten us on the story of the little shop owner and the town who took down the big corporation.
It all happened a few years ago when McDonalds moved into the Italian town of Altamura. The company sought to take over and turn everyone into burger lovers but the majority of residents of Altamura didn’t agree. Instead, an unspoken agreement was made and folks chose to support a local bread maker rather than the big corporation. The result: McDonalds was forced to close.
It’s a great story and one that’s never really been told (though it did make splashes in various news papers around the globe) so you bet it was exciting to see a documentary about the take down of the big guy by the little guy sadly, Focaccia Blues is not that movie. Actually, it’s not quite clear what Cirasola’s film is but what ever it might be, it falls somewhere between a bad joke and a sad truth. The bad joke is the acting, the scrip and sadly, nearly everything about the film. It’s exceptionally bland, painfully unfunny and so poorly conceived it’s nearly impossible to image how it managed to get made. But alas, the sad truth is that it has been made and a few have even suffered to see it.
Peppered throughout the bad costumes and contrived scenes which are supposed to be amusing (and perhaps provide some insight into the people of the region – they do neither) but come off as being put together by a tee boy who just saw a “Miami Vice” marathon and wants to re-live the 80s, are some nuggets of gold, the documentary bits which are shoved in. Interviews with shop owners and town locals who speak candidly about their love and hate for McDonalds (particularly amusing are the old men who liked to sit at the now defunct McDonalds in the hot summer months because the shop had air conditioning. They now spend their afternoons sitting at the local bank). There’s also an interview with a town official who goes on and on about the ways that the corporation broke local laws but even this is terribly exciting in comparison to most of the film.
What’s most disheartening about Focaccia Blues is that it manages to squander away a great untold story in such a tragic way. The film lacks focus, appeal and when all is said and done, there’s still little insight into how the little town killed the corporation (beyond what the film’s synopsis may tell you).
Needless to say, Focaccia Blues is a mess of a movie. Here’s hoping that somewhere down the line, someone with talent comes along and gives this story the attention it deserves.
