The Monkey’s Children

Born in 1989, Tommaso Landucci is making his feature film debut. It is a successful and courageous effort. The film tells the story of a father, his son in a wheelchair, and the unpleasant brother-in-law – the father of a model son who excels at sport and at school. “I figli della scimmia” is based on an Aesop’s fable: the monkey has two young, but loves and protects only one – to the point of suffocating him, whilst the neglected son survives. For years, the young aspiring director was Luca Guadagnino’s right-hand man. On the set of Call Me by Your Name, and later A Bigger Splash. He met James Ivory, who serves as executive producer on this debut – a fact that must be causing other Italian directors, not just debutants, who never stray too far from Cinecittà, to green with envy. The screenplay, co-written by the director himself with Damiano Femfert, won the Solinas Prize. It then went on to win the Grand Prize at the 2025 Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film Lab. At the Venice Film Festival, in the Orizzonti section, it picked up two awards: for Best Film and Best Actor. Riccardo Scamarcio acts – or rather, he doesn’t act; it’s a very natural form of realism – as if his future career depended on it. A spot-on move. Apart from its length – it runs to nearly two hours, when an hour and a half would have sufficed – the film is very bold. It portrays the envy felt by a loving and devoted father towards his 15-year-old grandson, who is able to ride a motocross bike. Moods, fatigue and squabbles between brothers – as well as getting dressed, exercise, bath time and pool therapy – are perfectly balanced.