TL;DR – A film that explores the joyous and sad moments if our lives through the prism of someone who falls out of societies prism of normality.    

Score – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene but there is a kickass song about Batman so that’s something.

Review –

Having a baby is one of the most joyous moments in your life, however, it can also be full of dread. Will the baby be okay, will I, what will our future be, have we baby-proofed the house? However, I don’t think anyone has had to deal with “what are our strategies for getting the baby off the ceiling.”

So to set the scene, in a small town in Italy a car races the nearest medical centre as that time has come. Natalia (Michela Cescon) is rushed into that hospital with only her mother Alina (Elena Cotta) at her side. But this is not a normal pregnancy because as the baby comes out it begins to rise into the ceiling with only the umbilical cord keeping it attached. Natalia races out of the centre without leaving her name but when they get home they call the boy Oscar as he is like an American superhero. All it well for a moment until that is the local gossips come around to see the baby.

There is a lot to unpack here, and I am not talking about the backpack that Oscar (Elio Germano) caries everywhere just to keep him attached to the ground. At first you feel like everyone is overreacting, but then you have to wonder, if you lived in a small town where gossip has the power to destroy your life, would you act differently. Then there is also the copious amount of examples of what would happen if the government found out. But how does that change how you live your life, this is what the film explores.

There were some interesting cycles that happen throughout film like how at first it is the grandmother who is closing off the world for Oscar and it is his mother trying to find a way for him to work in the world. But then the moment someone finds out about him the roles reverse and the cycle begins anew. This continues after he is found on the TV show Extraordinary Men and taken under the wing of David (Vincent Scarito) as his agent and then acts like every agent in cinema acts.

I don’t think this film would have worked as well as it did if you were not connected with Oscar and a lot of that comes from the acting of Elio Germano. You really feel for him and his situation because he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. His life is not an easy one even at the top because he is either hidden away or exploited by those who should be protecting him. It is sad at times, but also joyous at other times, then it is sad again, and you are there for every moment thanks in part to Elio.

The film covers such a lot of different facets of society throughout its run time, how people react to those who are different, what life is like in small towns, the role of celebrity culture in our lives, manipulation of the truth for profit, the pain of the past, and more. It is such that interesting film and while it is doing that it is layering joy and sadness all at once, like life is like at times. Though it does start to drab a little bit at the end when they over-complicate a reveal that didn’t need to be complicated.  

In the end, do we recommend The Man Without Gravity?  Yes, yes we do. It is happy and sad, uplifting and also a bit of an indictment of the world. It also has a kick-ass song about batman and tips about baby proofing a house for when your baby can fly into the ceiling, and I have not seen that particular combination before.           

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Man Without Gravity
Directed by – Marco Bonfanti
Story by – Marco Bonfanti
Screenplay by – Marco Bonfanti, Giulio Carrieri & Fabrizio Bozzetti
Music by – Danilo Caposeno
Cinematography by – Michele D’Attanasio
Edited by – Giogiò Franchini & Sarah McTeigue
Production/Distribution Companies – Isaria Productions, Zagora, Climax Films & Netflix
Starring – Elio Germano, Michela Cescon, Elena Cotta, Silvia D’Amico, Vincent Scarito, Pietro Pescara, Jennifer Brokshi, Andrea Pennacchi, Cristina Donadio, Dieter-Michael Grohmann, Dominique Lombardo, Francesco Procopio, Salvio Simeoli, Agnieszka Jania, Balkissa Souley Maiga, Giorgia Spinelli, Jean-Marie De Bol, Maria Angela Tonetti, Chiara Ingrosso, Chiara Sartori, Fabio Lovino, Manuela Parodi & Fulvio Milani
Rating – Around an Australia: M;