My Brother Is an Only Child

So, I finally watched “My Brother Is an Only Child,” and you gotta love those titles that make you scratch your head a bit, right? Directed by Daniele Luchetti, it’s a quirky Italian flick with Riccardo Scamarcio and Elio Germano. These guys play brothers, and let me tell you, their dynamic makes my relationship with my sibling look like a walk in Tantolunden park.

It’s set in the Italy of the ’60s, a time of political turmoil, filled with more opinions than a Swedish fika table discussion on whether “kanelbulle” or “semla” is better. Germano’s character, Accio, leans fascist while Scamarcio’s engineer something more leftist – talk about some painful Sunday dinners.

The sibling rivalry here is intense and, dare I say, quite relatable. I remember one particular Midsummer when my brother decided it’d be a grand idea to swap the anchovies for pickled herring in the Janssons frestelse, and let’s just say sparks flew—much like what you’ll see on screen.

There’s humor, but it’s not the knee-slapping kind; it’s more of the “chuckle quietly and nod knowingly” variety. The film paints images that capture messy and tense relationships that many can relate to—with a backdrop of political chaos that echoes today’s headlines.

But, you know, I had these moments of doubt wondering if the political-heavy dialogues were occasionally over my head. I mean, my Italian is pretty much limited to pasta types.

Ultimately, it’s charming – perhaps because it’s messy and imperfect. So if you’re in the mood for something akin to a cinematic rollercoaster, with plenty of heart and some family madness, grab a bag of “Kexchoklad” and give this one a try. Just don’t expect it to be simple—life rarely is, right?

Check the trailer below