For his last film “Parthenope”, Paolo Sorrenno-despite the prestigious premiere in the official Cannes competition-got a lot on the hat. In 2024, in 2024 he not only contradicted the prevailing zeitgeist how he just sparkles in the undeniable beauty of his young protagonist. The superficial high-gloss stimuli also got plenty of drogs in the long run.
Perhaps that is why the “The Young Pope” master with “Grace”, at least opening film at the film festival in Venice, is now on the safe side: With his ever grandiose favorite star Toni Servillo in the leading role, “Grace” is about a topic that Sorrentino has negotiated in films such as “La Grande Bellezza-The Great Beauty” or “Eternal Youth”: (intellectual) men and what (still) drives them.
An entry to measure
Paolo Sortino, as is not used to him, goes straight to the full to the fullest: gradually, the less short ยง87 of the Italian constitution is listed in which the powers of the President are listed. Supported dry legal food, but the Sorrentino with the first penetrating techno beat and a fighter jet flight relay, which paints the Italian national flag into the sky in honor formation and with colored smoke.
Such techno flashes on the soundtrack, which are repeatedly creeping, do not at least fit the state-supporting interiors of the Quirinalpalast, where the Italian President has resided since 1946 after centuries. But possibly, however, testify to an upcoming change, for example when a Greiser Portuguese head of state at the state reception in extreme slow motion and including red carpet is literally blown away.
At the last few meters of his term, President Mariano de Santis (Toni Servillo) spends more and more time thinking of his late wife (and the possible identity of her side jump).
And indeed: after having steered the country into calm water after six ceremonies survived, President Mariano de Santis (Toni Servillo) only remain in office for six months. His last remaining tasks: the decision on two requests for grace and the signing of a law elaborated by his daughter Dorotea (Anna Ferzetti) for euthanasia. However, the latter in particular would run counter to his image as a believing Catholic and good friend of the Pope …
As if SORRENTINO was apologizing to politics
“Grace” looks a little like two films in one: On the one hand, there are the huge images with which Paolo Sorrentino portrays his protagonist in the rooms of power that have become lonely in the last few meters. In contrast to his earlier, based on real role models “Il Divo-The Divine” (Toni Servillo as a 29 times accused and 29 times acquitted Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti) and “Loro” (Toni Servillo as Bunga-Bunga President Silvio Berlusconi), however, less about dismissing the power.
On the contrary: As a top law, Mariano is not a brave president, but over time he has developed the title-giving “grace”-the ability to recognize when you can simply take the necessary time and in which cases you still have to make a decision because there will simply be no hundred percent truth. This is also reflected in his private life, in which he has not been able to get over that his now deceased wife has once cheated with a unknown person – and it is eating him internally that he does not know the truth.
Brecht greetings
On the other hand, “Grace” is also a – too – neatly built moral piece. The decision about the euthana's network fits perfectly with the two still crucial requests for mercy: on the one hand, a professor strangled his woman with Alzheimer, and on the other hand, a woman stabbed her husband in her sleep after she endured his torture for 15 years. And then Mariano's horse collapses – and the President has to decide whether it should die painfully on the floor of the riding hall or to get a shot of mercy. You have to be very Catholic in order to be able to feel completely in your dilemma …
Conclusion: Paolo Sortino obviously understands old men than young women – and so “Grace” is definitely a step back in the right direction after the failure of “parthenopes”. However, the latest litter of the “The Young Pope” creator does not extend to his two outstanding masterpieces “La Grande Bellezza-The Great Beauty” (for this there is no staging force) and “Il Divo-The Divine” (there is a lack of political bite).
We saw “Grace” as part of the Venice Film Festival 2025, where he celebrated his world premiere as part of the official competition.