La Messa E Finita (1985)

Genres - Comedy Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Black Comedy, Religious Drama, Satire  |   Run Time - 96 min.  |   Countries - Italy  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Onetime campus radical Nanni Moretti (who also directed this film) renounces his past to become a priest. Returning to his home village, Moretti is appalled at the lack of religious reverence amongst the townsfolk. Unable to communicate with any of his old friends, who've all gleefully succumbed to the Deadly Sins, Moretti cannot even count on solace from his own family, a screwed-up aggregation which gives the word "dysfunctional" several new meanings. The priest finally gives up on the village and transfers to a parish far, far away. Despite the somber tone of the past few sentences, the Italian-filmed Mass Is Ended (Messa E' Finita) is actually a comedy, its humor stemming from the nonplussed reactions of Moretti and the believable performances of the supporting cast. The film won a special jury prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

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Keywords

priest, community, radical, Catholicism, faith, hometown, ideals, couple, parish, religion, church, frustration, morale, student, family, suicide, sexuality