The Trial Begins

From Vincenzo Marra, acclaimed writer/director of Sailing Home and The Session Is Open comes his most savage indictment yet of modern Italian society: The Trial Begins. Newcomer Michele Lastella delivers a breakthrough performance as ambitious young Filippo Costa, who rises through the ranks of the Financial Police via his own opportunity for corruption. But when he connects with a wealthy older widow (the legendary Fanny Ardant of The Woman Next Door and Il Divo), Filippo quickly becomes a part of Rome’s social, financial and political elite. In a nation that rewards ruthless ambition, what must one man ultimately sacrifice to build his own empire? Giulia Bevilacqua co-stars in this stunning portrait of today’s amoral Italy that critics have compared to Bertolucci’s THE Conformist. From IFC Films.