Loose Cannons

Both heart-warming comedy and heart-breaking drama have their place in this story which portrays an eccentric cast of characters from a well-to-do Italian family, owners of a pasta-making company, who gather to celebrate the handover of the business from father Vincenzo to eldest son Antonio. Younger son Tommaso decides he'll use the occasion to reveal to his unsuspecting kin that he is gay but, shockingly and farcically, his older sibling pre-empts him by making his own identical announcement. Tommaso is thus left stranded, still keeping his secret…

Undoubtedly comic, Loose Cannons is unusual in Italian cinema for focusing on the still entrenched conservatism of many families towards gayness. But it's no sermon: it's a witty, well-observed drama about pretending, about making other people happy, beautifully shot, acted and directed, and with a script full of warmth and richness.