A surprise winner of Venice’s Golden Lion, Gianfranco Rosi’s doc traces the orbital route of Rome’s ring road, the Grande Raccordo Anulare. La Dolce Vita this isn’t, as Rosi seeks out the forgotten folk who the commuters leave behind: an eccentric bunch that includes prostitutes, paramedics and parasitic weevils.
Without voiceover, Rosi’s intentions are frustratingly enigmatic – is he charting man’s battle with his environment? Or painting the GRA as purgatory? Still, the cumulative effect offers a tender tribute to the resilience of his subjects’ spirits against the thrum of traffic.
