Based on the real-life bankruptcy of the Italian company Parmalat, Molaioli’s film reunites him with the protean Toni Servillo (The Girl by the Lake, NIC 2008) to dramatize a particular instance of corporate corruption. In 1992, dairy company Leda decides it needs to diversify. CFO Ernesto Botta suggests going public in order to raise cash, but mismanagement, backroom dealings and widespread financial finagling lead to disaster. Even as the business unravels and it becomes obvious who will be the scapegoat, Botta remains loyal and unflappable. With a wide range of hooded glances and a particular rhythm of speech, Servillo inhabits yet another character unable to extricate himself from a devastating predicament.


North American Premiere. Il gioiellino, Italy/France 2011, 110 min. Written by Andrea Molaioli, Ludovica Rampoldi, Gabriele Romagnoli. Photographed by Luca Bigazzi. With Toni Servillo, Remo Girone, Sarah Felberbaum, Lino Guanciale. In Italian with subtitles. Intramovies.