Garrone is best known for his last film, the gritty 'Gomorrah' about a Naples crime syndicate. But with 'Reality' he switches gears, creating a modern day fairy tale whose protagonist's soul is slowly and inexorably eroded by the lure of fame.
The second film, screening outside the main competition on Saturday, is 'Antiviral', the debut feature of Brandon Cronenberg, son of Canadian director David Cronenberg. Its plot follows a clinic worker who sells fans injections of viruses harvested from sick celebrities.
In 'Reality', Lorenzo is an affable Naples fishmonger and loving father and husband whose family convinces him to try out for the reality TV show 'Big Brother'.
Garrone chose as his main actor Aniello Arena, whom he discovered working in a prison theatre troupe. Arena, who is still serving his term, was allowed out of prison during the days to film but returned to custody in the evenings. He was not allowed to accompany the rest of the cast to Cannes....
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10:48 AM, May 19, 2012
