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The Caiman

The Caiman (Il caimano)

Movie · 2006 · 3 people

A troubled film production is the lens through which Nanni Moretti's The Caiman (Italian: Il caimano) follows the vicissitudes of Silvio Berlusconi. Made as an Italian-French co-production, this 2006 film is a satirical comedy-drama. Released in Italy on 24 March 2006, shortly ahead of the 9 and 10 April general election that Berlusconi lost, it ranked among the country's most successful films of the year.

At its centre is Bruno Bonomo, a producer whose career and private life are both in ruins, played by Silvio Orlando. One day a script about Berlusconi, titled "Il caimano", lands on his desk. Seeing it as a way to save his career, Bruno does everything he can to get it made, yet the project drags him into political pressure and personal turmoil. Margherita Buy plays Paola and Aidra, Jasmine Trinca plays Teresa, and Cecilia Dazzi appears as Luisa. The film sets out to show Berlusconi beyond the former prime minister and Milan club president.

Moretti wrote the screenplay with Federica Pontremoli and Francesco Piccolo, and the film was produced by Sacher Film and BAC Films. Running 112 minutes, it competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and won the David di Donatello for Best Film the same year.

DirectorNanni Moretti
Production companySacher Film

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Cast

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Margherita Buy Margherita Buy Actor · 64 years old Jasmine Trinca Jasmine Trinca Actor · 45 years old Valerio Mastandrea Valerio Mastandrea Actor · 54 years old

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Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Rather than portray Berlusconi head-on, Nanni Moretti sets him inside the story of Bruno Bonomo, a failing producer trying to make a script about him. The film-within-a-film structure is clever: political satire, the fragility of the film business and a private life falling apart meet in the same frame. Silvio Orlando carries this worn-out man convincingly. Yet the three layers don't always pull equal weight; the stretches given to Bruno's private life sometimes blunt the satire. At 112 minutes, having competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes and won the David di Donatello for Best Film, it stands out as one of Moretti's most ambitious works.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film opened in Italy only about two weeks before the 2006 general election that Berlusconi lost; that timing alone shows how tightly politics and cinema can be bound together. The Caiman asks us to think about Berlusconi beyond the former prime minister and the Milan club president. Doing so through the eyes of a desperate producer makes visible how political pressure seeps into ordinary people's work and homes. For viewers far from Italian affairs, some references may fall flat; still, it is a rewarding film for anyone who wants to think about the relationship between power and art.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Honestly, this isn't my genre. The caiman in the title might make you expect a thriller, but this is political satire built on a producer's troubles, not on chases. The project dragging him into political pressure promises some tension, but to me the pace stays calm. And 112 minutes felt long. If you're into politics and the backstage of filmmaking, give it a shot.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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