A decadent building in Piazza Vittorio, Rome, is a stage for the most despicable acts of prejudice and xenophobia among its residents, neighbors and people from the nearby stores. Disputes can rise from over simple things, but mostly because of the use of the building's elevator, with respectful people who use it in the right way, others trashing and smoking inside of it, and others who feel so special to the point of demanding that foreigners should use the stairs instead. Intertwined with those occasional clashes, the busy personal lives of the main characters only amount to small tragedies that together can cause more impact on everyone's lives, leading to an eventual tragedy.
The main story involves two brothers who had everything to succeed in life but they snapped into a lethargic state after the unjust arrest of their old father over a fraudulent business made by his comrades, and later on he kills himself in prison. Cut to years later, Marco (Daniele Liotti) is no longer the lawyer he used to be, only making occasional assistance for his friends, a little bittered with everything he went through with his father problems but still carrying a strong sense of justice. His problems consists in his relationship with his girl, and dealing with his younger brother, the rebel Gladiatore (the intense Marco Rossetti). At one time, they were very close but now they barely respect each other, though still living door to door, with frequent and heated discussions between Gladiatore's lack of concern for others and for the elevator - and he hears a lot from the neighbors. Other characters include the xenophobic lady, who feels like the owner of the place dictating rules to everyone; the lady who looks for her lost dog, blaming her foreign maid for its disappearance; the Pakistani neighbor, among others.
The mosaic of characters is nicely presented, conveying many realities, cultural and social backgrounds to give every viewer a sense of representation, and even if you won't feel represented by them or identified with some of them, at least you'll probably see situations that mirror things that you saw or end up being part of it. But the director keeps things a little hopeful despite the numerous incidents, provocations and arguments (only after someone's death, of course). It goes to a positive way afterwards as a form to prove that we musn't be united in disgrace only, our differences combined can form a much interesting whole. The treatment given to the xenophobia was real, the story seems very believable while touching those issues; and the picture is there for everyone see it as a guide of things one musn't do - and it's not in a preachy way though. To raise awareness that such things happen and must be pointed out and denounced.
As a cinematic experience, it was quite different, at times confusing but once the plot builds a momentum after another momentum it goes perfectly well. The actors were okay, most of them I didn't know from anywhere, and I got really impressed with Rossetti and his Gladiatore, a character that proves a great point when it comes to never judge by appearances: head shaved, intense look in his eyes, truly menacing and always arguing with somebody, yet in some scenes you can see that there's an ideology behind it, he's not that repulsive or so revolted at all. There's goodness inside. To the building's crowd he'll always look like the enemy but it turns out that the enemy can be in any part of us. If we can't manage with our enemy within, we can't point fingers at others and demand for respect and righteousness. 7/10
