| The Prize | |
| Director: | Alessandro Gassman |
| Cinematography: | Federico Schlatter |
| Starring: | Gigi Proietti Alessandro Gassmann Anna Foglietta Rocco Papaleo Matilda De Angelis Marco Zitelli |
| Music: | Maurizio Filardo |
| Producer: | Fulvio Lucisano, Federica Lucisano |
| Studio: | MG Italian International Film |
| Distributor: | Vision Distribution Italia |
| Runtime: | 100 minutes |
| Country: | Italy |
| Language: | Italian |
The Prize (Il premio) is a 2017 Italian film directed by Alessandro Gassman.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Giovanni Passamonte, a writer, is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is about to embark on a one-week road trip to Stockholm to receive the prize when his personal assistant, Rinaldo, injures his back and can no longer drive him there. His son Oreste, a personal trainer who had arrived that morning to crash at his father's place after an argument with his wife Barbara, is recruited to replace Rinaldo. Lucrezia, Giovanni's daughter by another woman, invites herself to the trip to document it as part of her online blog.
The trip becomes a turning point for the four characters: Giovanni is nostalgic and lamenting a lack of inspiration. He is secretly planning a big surprise at the award ceremony (but ultimately changes his mind) and decides to interfere and improve the lives of his three companions. His eccentricity is the cause of the trip and often results in comedic moments throughout the movie. He is afraid of flying (hence the road trip), doesn't like using credit card (Rinaldo carries more than 50,000 EUR in cash for any emergency), has had many love stories, some of which have produced children (at least 6).
Oreste is a former Olympic athlete turned personal trainer and owner of an ailing gym, too proud to ask his father for financial help, but willing to drive for him in exchange for a 15,000 EUR loan. Lucrezia is a neurotic blogger with the passion for art and literature. Rinaldo is a loyal assistant who has sacrificed much for Giovanni, including his only love interest. The trip offers Giovanni occasions to shake things up in the life of their companions and make them reflect on their story and identity. The movie ends with Giovanni's acceptance speech where he declares the insignificance of prizes in general and the importance of the people "off-stage", who lead regular lives.