Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Immobility And The Poetics Of Contentment In Paolo Virzí’S Caterina In The Big City, Emanuela Guano

Anthropology Faculty Publications

By intertwining fictional and actual circumstances and characters from Italy’s political and cultural scene, Paolo Virzí’s Caterina va in cittá/Caterina in the Big City tells the story of the difficulties encountered by Giancarlo Iacovoni and his daughter Caterina as they strive to carve a place for themselves in Roman society. This article argues that, while seemingly upholding the meritocracy myth, the film actually challenges both the inclusiveness feigned by Italy’s right wing populists and the emancipation promises of the Left. Furthermore, it suggests that Caterina in the Big City posits a poetics of contentment as the only viable option in …