The Jewel

The Jewel (2011)

Genres - Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Crime Drama  |   Run Time - 110 min.  |   Countries - Italy  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

An old-fashioned business is introduced to modern financial schemes with dire results in this drama from director Andrea Molaioli, inspired by actual events. Leda is one of Europe's biggest and most respected dairy firms, a family-owned company that for years has flourished under the steady, conservative leadership of founder Amanzio Rastelli (Remo Girone) and his Chief Financial Officer Ernesto Botta (Toni Servillo). However, Amanzio's playboy son Matteo (Alessandro Adriano) has a more ambitious vision for the company, and when Leda runs into an unexpected cash flow problem, he persuades his father to take the firm public. Leda's initial public offering makes a splash on the Italian stock exchange and provides a windfall for the firm, but it also introduces outside interference, most notably Laura (Sarah Felberbaum), a aggressive financier who also happens to be Amanzio's niece. Ernesto balks at Laura's growing role in the company's fiscal affairs, a conflict that grows more heated when the two become lovers, and as Leda expands, the company's finances are stretched increasingly thin, pushing the firm to the brink of collapse. Il Gioellino (aka The Jewel or The Little Gem) was an official selection at the 2011 London International Film Festival.

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Keywords

business, dairy, financier, food-chain