Arrivederci Paris
Directed by Louis Salvatore Bellanti, ‘Arrivederci Paris’ is a comedy-drama short that finds several unrelated individuals colliding over the death of a famous French actor on one fine Parisian evening. The film stars Isabelle de Botton, Cesare Capitani, Carla Bianchi and Alessandra Bonarota.
Adrianno Rizzo is a famed Parisian actor with a terrible secret; he abuses and sexually assaults young actresses. Rizzo’s landlord, Helene, concocts a plan to make Rizzo pay for his misdeeds. Helene is successful in poisoning Rizzo, but unknown to her, Rizzo secretly records everything in his apartment. As an aspiring young woman gets her hand on the tape, Helene will find her seemingly perfect plan bursting apart at its seams.
Juggling a complex plot that involves several individuals with their own intertwined stories is no easy task, but Bellanti manages to accomplish it with flying colours. At the centre of the story is a sexual abuser, and one woman’s quest to bring him to justice will cascade into something else entirely. Like a Guy Ritchie movie where a group of unrelated people are undone by a crime, Bellanti’s story also aims to do something similar. Money, love, justice and unchecked power collide to make a banger of a film.
The acting by everyone is on point, but Isabelle de Botton as Helene de Saint Amand steals every scene she is in. Going toe to toe with her is Cesare Capitani’s Rizzo and it is these two that make the entire film. The direction is flawless, and the editing and pacing condense a complex story into a twelve-minute short. Another great thing about the film is how stunning it looks visually. The sunbaked streets of Paris have showcased all of its historical glory, and everything from the interior to the costumes is vibrant, lively and glorious. Equally impressive is the music, which adds a further layer of authenticity to this Parisian story.
To conclude, ‘Arrivederci Paris’ is a lively and funny Paris-set drama short that packs a powerful punch. Full of twists and turns, this tale of murder, voyeurism and double-crosses not only leaves you guessing until its very end, but it also does so with style and poise. We give the film five stars out of five.