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Wishing on a Star
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“We burn the old so the new can come.” This astrological philosophy held by Luciana de Leoni is the basis of her life-guidance practice: she analyses the charts in order to determine where each pining, unfulfilled individual should go, close or far away, somewhere in the wide world – in order to reborn on their birthday. Some wish for love, others seek contentment within themselves or their family. The range of characters includes identical twins (always positioned the same, left and right in the frame, so that we can identify them!), a funeral director, a butcher, and several domineering mothers … The future is unwritten and everyone must forge their own destiny – and yet, it seems, nothing goes even slightly according to the predicted plan for Luciana’s clients. And, on top of that, the astrologer has her own problems to face. Director/co-writer Peter Kerekes proclaims himself a Hungarian who has always wanted to make a “very Italian” film – and, indeed, Lucia Chuťková’s score pays rich homage to Nino Rota’s music for Federico Fellini. Achieving a combination of fiction (tinged with magical fantasy) and documentary naturalness, Wishing on a Star weaves charming entertainment, as its subjects travel to the ends of the globe in search of elusive happiness and surprising fate. © Adrian Martin 22 December 2024 |
