The Goddess of Fortune (2019)
La dea fortuna
Film details
Drama · Ferzan Özpetek · 1h 54min
Synopsis
Alessandro and Arturo have been together for over 15 years and, despite the feeling they still have for each other, their relationship is now at crisis. When Alessandro’s best friend, out of the blue, asks them to take care of her two kids for a few days, something changes in their daily routine and love will drive them to a crazy and unexpected turn in their life.
Verdict
Normalizes same-sex couples in a parental role as a family equivalent.
In-depth analysis
The film presents without ambiguity or questioning a same-sex couple as protagonists and a valid family structure. Arturo and Alessandro, together for fifteen years, assume the temporary care of two children, and the work builds upon this premise an emotional narrative designed for the viewer to accept as natural and positive that which is not. The narrative strategy is effective: it uses humor, tenderness, and the everyday challenges of parenting to present this configuration as equivalent to a traditional family. There is no critical counterweight or alternative perspective — the homosexual couple in a parental role is offered as a fait accompli, without questioning. The Italian film, well-acted and with moments of genuine warmth, uses precisely these artistic virtues for the ideological message to penetrate without resistance. For parents, this is a work that seeks to normalize the redefinition of the family by presenting it with affective naturalness. Not recommended.