Directors: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti
Writers: Antonio Manetti, Marco Manetti
Stars: Ennio Fantastichini, Francesca Cuttica, Juliet Esey Joseph
The Arrival of Wang, a 2011 sci fi film directed by Antonio and Marco Manetti, has a great if far-fetched central premise: an interpreter (Francesca Cuttica) is hired by the secret service to help question a polite man called Wang. After refusing to conduct the interview blindfold and in the dark, she’s introduced to her questionee: an alien who speaks only Mandarin Chinese (which he learnt because it was the most widely spoken language on the planet). Wang claims to have come from a distant planet in order to foster mutual understanding; Italian cop Curti (Ennio Fantastichini) is less than convinced, and thinks his intentions could be less benevolent. Much of the rest of the running time follows the verbal ping pong between Wang, Curti and Gaia, who becomes more and more disillusioned at the aggressive approach taken by her employers.
Given that Italian cinema is currently obsessed with immigration, it’s nice to see something that turns this on its head and deals with an extraterrestrial immigrant, and quite possibly a not very nice one. The script is clever, the acting good and the Manetti’s – former video directors of some repute who also made the thriller The 17th Floor (2005), Paura 3D (2012) and several episodes of popular TV series Inspector Coliandro – handle their chores well. The biggest flaw it has is the CGI, both in the creature effects (which are decently designed but suffer from the same lack of substance that ruins so much CGI work) and a cheesy climax. Nonetheless, it’s nice to see an authentically intelligent, stylish genre movie coming out of Italy.
