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Human Capital AKA Il capitale umano
R2 - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (13th November 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Small-time estate agent, Dino (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), seizes a chance to climb the local social-ladder when dropping his beautiful daughter Serena (Matilde Gioli) off to visit her boyfriend Massimiliano (Guglielmo Pinelli) – the son of Giovanni Bernaschi (Fabrizio Gifuni), a hot-shot hedge-fund investor, at a large villa on the edge of town. Making up the fourth man in a game of tennis doubles, his natural sporting ability and opportunistic eye provide him an unlikely entrance to a world where making money is both easy and fast. Depending on your access to the right amount of capital, that is. When Giovanni suggests Dino join his latest fund scheme, with a mere €500,000, Dino, is so desperate to be a part of the Bernaschi circle that he puts his own house and business up as collateral. When a cyclist is the victim of an accidental hit-and-run accident after a school awards ceremony one night just before Christmas the destinies of the two families are catastrophically interwoven. Coinciding with the sudden onset of the financial crisis – a situation that threatens the immediate security of the rich and aspiring-rich alike, cracks quickly start to emerge. From the rich and bored wife Carla (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), with misguided aspirations of artistic patronage, to the two misunderstood and emotionally neglected teenagers and Dino’s just-pregnant wife, Roberta (Valeria Golino), grappling desperately with the possibility of financial ruin and a daughter in the throes of personal crisis. Human Capital serves up an absorbing treatise on how the rich can ride roughshod over the ‘little people’ when their security is threatened, as well as a being a gripping and thrilling drama with a mystery at its center – who was driving the jeep that fateful night and what will the consequences be – for all involved.
Video
Independent British distributor Arrow Films have released the Italian Academy Award entry "Human Capital" on to DVD on the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is anamorphic, in PAL format, and is of good quality. Details in this transfer are often surprisingly good. The film uses a rather dark colour scheme, fitting with the tone of the plot, and in similar films we often see that details are hard to determine when there are a lot of shadows and heavy usages of blacks. Not here though, as small details in clothing and in the darkened environments are easily recognisable, and although lacking the clarity that a Blu-ray would have delivered, are towards the high end of what DVD is capable of. Close-up details are also very strong, especially in the expressive faces of our characters and in decor. Long shots in lighter scenes are also notable. As noted, there are a lot of dark colours here, with minimal crush and good clarity between various shades. Lighter colours do make appearances and look fine with no obvious problems. Skin tones are accurate, and contrast levels are consistent. There are no major problems here with edge enhancement or aliasing, though I did notice some light banding on occasion. There's no signs of damage either - the transfer looks very clean. It's not reference quality, but is clearly better than average. The film is uncut and runs 105:59.
Audio
There are two audio options available here: - Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 - Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 track, though do note that the stereo track plays by default. It's a good track, but nothing special. The surrounds are mainly utilised to make full use of Carlo Virzě's score, though every now and again, there is some good use of more subtle effects through the surrounds, such as the sounds of cars, or a door being closed. The LFE gets some occasional use during a couple of more robust scenes, but can be rather quiet. Channel separation and direction is technically good, though the whole sound stage would have benefited from slightly more activity at times. Dialogue is clear and concise at all times, and there are no issues such as drop outs, scratches, pops, or background hiss. Optional subtitles are available in English.
Extras
Just a couple of start-up trailers: - "A Thousand Times Good Night" (1:48) - "Stations of the Cross" (1:54)
Overall
An intriguing piece of modern Italian cinema given a solid technical presentation.
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