Memories consume the mind of Italian President Mariano De Santis (Toni Servillo), the memory of his late ‘perfect’ wife Aurora. He thinks of her while visiting the Pope (Rufin Doh Zeyenouin), or watching dance numbers, or visiting his alma mater. Aurora, to him, represents a certain freedom he can’t have because of his cushy job. This job requires him to be decisive. One of his decisions involves whether or not he should stay for his full term or resign a few weeks early. Resigning means making way for his friend Ugo Romani (Massimo Venturiello), who may be the man Aurora cheated with. Ugo wants him to pardon someone accused of euthanasia, and euthanasia is the darling cause of his daughter Dorotea (Anna Ferzetti).

Director and writer Paolo Sorrentino, like most directors, even ones better than him, do multiple variations of the similar styles. I never lucked out on writing about his good films, Parthenope being an impressionistic take on a hot intellectual woman. Excess, modernity, and sex are present in his new film, giving us that experience through his protagonist de Santis. The world exists around this stoic protagonist, the good old Kuleshov effect doing some of the heavy lifting in here. It helps that Servillo can bring dimensions to this stoic figure, and Sorrentino’s visuals are dreamy enough to delight. Also, La Grazia is the film where Sorrentino finally gets the right mix of sincere moments with ridiculously self aware ones.

La Grazia‘s mix of ridiculous and sincere mostly takes place within Italy’s presidential palace and sometimes, outside of it. One its best moments is when Dorotea visits Isa Roca (Linda Messerklinger), an incarceree for ‘murdering’ her husband. Another is when Mariano argues with one of his childhood friends Coco Valori (Milvia Marigliano) about Aurora’s actions. He gets slightly angry during that scene, but days later, he returns to his stoic self, showing a different character ‘progression’. Usually, a cold character like Mariano heats up over time, but Sorrentino depicts his progressions as more roller coaster-y. It takes, more likely, the right kind of environmental change for a protagonist like Mariano to change inside and outside.

Change can bring out a better version of a character, even someone like Mariano who achieves much as president. La Grazia is realistic in showing that being a president isn’t such a bad gig with the access he is getting. Even if he’s not outwardly happy with the fashion shows or the reunions, they’re still available for him to attend. He does show some happiness when he goes to the Opera or meets a rapper who he listens to. This film shows us what it’s like for a boring politician to feel joy, which, strangely enough, is still possible. Again, I used to be unlucky with the Sorrentino films I assign myself, but I’m happy that luck turned around a bit.

After a limited theatrical release, La Grazia is available to stream on MUBI, which-