NP
Nico Parente
•In a distant galaxy, life is made possible by radiation, while someone is forced to live in darkness and cold. The inhabitants of the planet have eradicated all diseases over the years and live in the cult of well-being and gymnastics; at the king's command, the spaceship "Extreme Sweetness" ventures into space to retrieve synthetic drugs, but a mutiny breaks out on board destined to change the fate of the galaxy.
Alberto Genovese returns behind the camera to direct a small avant-garde work titled "Extreme Sweetness" (2015). The Milanese director, already author of "The Invasion of the Astronauts" (2009), returns with an animated film featuring Marco Antonio Andolfi (The Cross of Seven Stones). In this small experimental work, Andolfi plays the role of King Gregory XII, sovereign of a population living on a planet in a distant galaxy. Genovese's performance is certainly mature, as on this occasion the director operates primarily in a digital dimension where the protagonists are sock monsters, that is, rag dolls. Andolfi, on the other hand, lends exclusively his face for what is called "a holographic image". Extreme Sweetness presents itself as a visually excellent work, which remains absolutely impressive, thanks to the colors and acidic tones used, in the spectator's mind. Whoever observes Genovese's work lives a journey in a fantasy dimension with hallucinogenic atmospheres. Unfortunately, the praise reduces drastically concerning the screenplay, by Massimo Vavassori, which deprives the dialogues and sequences of a continuous narration. Certainly, the intentions during the production phase are clear: the aim is more at a visual impact, leaving space for the spectator's imagination, rather than a true narration characterized by intense dialogues. But a more articulated narrative description would have meant an added value. Extreme Sweetness, as per the genre, strongly denounces and criticizes society: attacks on the political class, mass media, and the power of the screen are not lacking, nor is that deliberately incorrect style that characterized past works to which there are references.
The return to the artisanal and minimalist science fiction of the past is accomplished through the absurd and grotesque main characters who do not lack a dirty language, with constant references to more explicit sexuality and commit violent acts.
"Extreme Sweetness" overall entertains, is worth watching, and contains some truly notable sequences. Perhaps, for those more versed in the genre, a real gem of our own really well made and that stands out in a somewhat saturated landscape of conventional proposals. The interludes of rock music do not spoil and blend well within the 82 minutes of duration, perhaps a bit too long for a similar production.