Where’s the party?

A romantic comedy set in traffic. For a moment, it feels like we’re watching the Israeli film 2 Night by Roi Werner all over again. Two people who fancy each other escape from a party – ‘my place or yours?’ – and drive round all night without finding a parking space. “I’m scared she’ll dump me,” we hear him say right at the start. “But aren’t you even together?” his friend points out. Leo goes to Irene’s house to sort out their relationship – it’s just before Christmas, Rome is even more chaotic than usual, and the parking wasn’t exactly legal – and his car gets stolen. So much for the night out. The plan to sort things out – which basically means: “Are we spending the festive season together, or not?” – is put on hold. Niccolò Gentili’s comedy is fast-paced, funny and well-written; Linda Caridi is perfect – he doesn’t exactly look the part of Prince Charming, but never mind. They need to find the car, or write it off as lost. First things first: they need to report it to the police. Meanwhile, they have tracked its movements using an app: ‘It’s on the Togliatti’ (a long road where cars are supposed to whizz by, but that’s all theory). Irene is a young aspiring screenwriter; for now, she teaches distracted students – or those with ‘woke’ agendas, such as the Bechdel Test: a film must feature two women who talk to each other, and not just about men. She explains how a romantic comedy works. “Dov’è la Fiesta?” has all the right details, and the irony. “Breathe into the bag,” someone advises. The anxious one obeys. Then comes the clarification: “Take the pizza out, though.”