{"id":2914,"date":"2012-03-23T11:50:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-23T11:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thewildeye.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2914"},"modified":"2012-03-23T11:53:12","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T11:53:12","slug":"benzina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thewildeye.co.uk\/blog\/reviews\/benzina\/","title":{"rendered":"Benzina"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Benzina\"<\/a>
Benzina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2001
\nAka Gasoline
\nRunning time: 87 mins
\nItaly
\nBased on the novel by Elena Stancanelli
\nProduced by Galliano Iuso for Digital Film, with input from the Dipartimentp dello spettacolo
\nDistribution: Lion Lantia (2002)
\nRelease date: 31-05-2002
\nDirector: Monica\u00a0 Stambrini
\nScreenplay: Monica\u00a0 Stambrini, Anne Riitta\u00a0 Ciccone
\nPhotography: Fabio\u00a0 Cianchetti
\nMusic: Massimo\u00a0 Zamboni
\nEditor: Paola\u00a0 Freddi
\nArt director: Alessandro\u00a0 Rosa
\nCostumes: Antonella\u00a0 Cannarozzi
\nSpecial effects: Franco\u00a0 Galiano
\nCast: Maya\u00a0 Sansa (Stella), Regina\u00a0 Orioli (Lenni), Pietro\u00a0 Ragusa (Filippo), Chiara\u00a0 Conti (Pippi), Marco\u00a0 Quaglia (Sandro), Mariella\u00a0 Valentini (Lenni’s mother), Luigi Maria\u00a0 Burruano (the priest), Osvaldo Livio\u00a0 Alzari (cashier)<\/p>\n

Benzina <\/strong>is a 2001 thriller that was marketed as an Italian equivalent to Thelma and Louise <\/strong>(91) <\/strong>and <\/strong>which managed to get a small amount of International distribution (it was shown at festivals in the States and UK).\u00a0 It’s a small scale production made with obviously limited means and although it’s obviously the work of inexperienced filmmakers, it’s not at all without interest.<\/p>\n

Nervous Lenni (Regina Orioli) and intense Stella (Maya Sansa) work respectively as the waitress and mechanic in an out of the way garage.\u00a0 They also happen to be in a fairly contented lesbian relationship… until Lenni’s bossy mother appears out of the blue and starts voicing her disapproval.\u00a0 In the ensuing argument Stella knocks her over, she cracks her head against a worktop and dies.\u00a0 Rather than call the police Lenni and Stella decide to clean up all evidence of the accident, during the course of which they discover an envelope stuffed full of cash in her handbag.\u00a0 Fearful of the consequences of their actions they decide to go on the run, but Lenni keeps hearing her mother’s voice in her head and there never seems to be a convenient moment to dispose of the corpse, which is still stuffed inconveniently in their boot.<\/p>\n

Along the way they manage to accidentally crash into a philosophical priest, Father Gabriele (Luigi Maria Barruano), who insists that they give him a lift to the nearest town.\u00a0 No sooner have they managed to get rid of him than they run into a trio of coked-up idiots who seem to have some kind of beef with them.\u00a0 When these goons realise that the girls are carrying a load of money they decide to do all they can to take it from them.<\/p>\n

Although the filmmakers sensibly decided to keep things to a small scale, Benzina <\/strong>is unable to escape its obviously low budget.\u00a0 It’s too dialogue heavy to be effective as a thriller \u2013 the opening twenty minutes in particular feel very much like a filmed version of a theatrical play – and the tension is further dissipated by lengthy flashbacks showing how Lenni and Stella’s relationship developed.\u00a0 In an attempt to make it visually interesting the director throws in all kinds of cinematographic gimmicks \u2013 hand held camerawork, found footage shot by the characters, variable filming speeds \u2013 but these are too familiar to make much of an impression.\u00a0 In fact they only distract from Fabio Cianchetti’s otherwise impressive cinematography, and it’s not hard to see why he’s been one of the busier Italian directors of photography over the last twenty five years (his other work includes Bertolucci’s The Dreamers<\/strong>, Cristina Comencini’s Don’t Tell <\/strong>and Saverio Costanzo’s The Solitude of Prime Numbers<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

First time director Monica Stambrini does a fair job, but she doesn’t display a knack for filming action sequences and allows the pacing to meander.\u00a0 A couple of sequences \u2013 most particularly a dangerous confrontation in a nightclub toilet \u2013 really don’t work at all, which is a shame because the quieter sections of the film are rather effective.\u00a0 There’s also an interesting sweaty, small town ambiance that recalls some of the earlier work of the Coen brothers, most particularly Blood Simple<\/strong>, which must have been an influence.\u00a0 Stambrini had previously made some well regarded shorts, and although her work shows promise she is still to make another film.<\/p>\n

As for the performances, they’re variable.\u00a0 The protagonists are fine: Italo-Persian actress Maya Sansa has since appeared in much respected films like The Best of Youth <\/strong>(2003) and Good Morning Night <\/strong>(2003), whereas Regina Orioli’s career never took off in quite the same way.\u00a0 Sex symbol Chiara Conti, who also popped up in Argento’s Do You Like Hitchcock <\/strong>(2005) and Alex Infascelli’s Hate 2.0 <\/strong>(2006), has a small role.<\/p>\n