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Oscar Wilde once said, �Nothing human is alien to me�, a maxim that one could use to describe the masterful cinema of Nanni Moretti. It�s been over 5 years since he quietly moved us with his gentle human drama The Son�s Room, and in those years his passion for such drama, from the ridiculous to the sublime, hasn�t dulled. Il Caimano (The Caiman) marks a triumphant return to form, and a film with a dictionary-defined title of �a tropical American reptile related to the alligator but with a heavily armored belly� instantly piques interest. An incisive invective about the exotic alligator of the title, Italy�s recently deposed premier Silvio Berlusconi, and a thoughtful tale about a struggling film producer trying to produce a film about said president�s extravagant life, the pairing of two such men, at opposite ends of every spectrum, tests Wilde�s adage to its limits.

Bruno Bonomo (Orlando) is down on his luck. A washed up, schlock B-movie film producer whose best work, if one can call it that, is behind him, is preparing a period film �The Return Of Christopher Columbus�. Plagued by doubts, debt, the slow inexorable break up of his marriage to estranged wife and one time collaborating actress, Paola (Buy), and hiding such information from his two sons, Bruno is at the end of his tether. When the director of Columbus walks out, taking the project with him, and a meeting with one of the most prestigious financiers scheduled, Bruno is left to pitch a new script, he has only just skimmed, �The Caiman� by a young, inexperienced but passionate director, Teresa (Trinca) to said executives. It is only after the event, a recurring theme in Bruno�s life, that he realizes the script he pitched is not the modern thriller he thought, but a political film about Berlusconi and his impact on Italy. Now his troubles have really begun.

An outspoken critic and radical opponent to Silvio Berlusconi�s government and policy in Italy, Nanni Moretti has made a brave, singular film. Made in the final year of his reign, and with many people believing his movie helped influenced the 2006 Italian general election, The Caiman is very, very politically motivated and clever film. The film within in a film allegory, allows Moretti a double-edged sword; he can portray Berlusconi�s rise to power himself, all iconic imagery, and defining moments, hidden in Bruno and Teresa�s readings of the script, and also allow the realities of Bruno trying to make the movie itself comment on exactly what living under Berlusconi�s imposing shadow means. Neither forces itself on the other, and it works magnificently. From egotistical, pompous leading man Marco (Michele Placido), to nouveau riche Polish financier Jerzy (Jerzy Sturovsky) all are Berlusconi�s children, a thought that, while not being judgmental, makes us take stock.

If all this may weigh heavy on your mind, not another political treatise on another crooked politician, don�t despair, for Moretti has repeatedly pointed out, it�s a film of Berlusconi, not about him. Rather the heart of the film is Bruno, played with sublime perfection by Orlando. A revelatory portrayal of a modern day Peter Pan, a man who is trapped in the head of a child, but can�t see it, it is played with pathos, love and stunning realism. His hangdog expression, his nuanced looks, his heavy heart that won�t quit, all reveal the pathos and pride of such an extraordinary man. All Bruno wants to do is play and his career as storyteller has afforded him the chance to not give up on his childhood dreams, even to the detriment of his adult ones.

What struck most about The Caiman is the depiction of fatherhood, a beautiful piece of visual poetry to the energy, passion and inquisitiveness of children, their vociferous imagination, undying questioning, unabashed honesty, and their content to be. It is in the moments with his children that Bruno truly belongs. His love for them is in no doubt, he is an extraordinary father, being as wide eyed as them, never having lost that childish imagination, curiosity and passion himself. However his moments of despair, he deals with as a child would, all sulking and demanding attention, stomping, and screaming �its not fair�, wanting to be loved.

The cinematography too is gorgeous, with beautiful, lyrical images. Whereas The Son�s Room presented a naturalistic family life, here the paean to cinema allows him, a more lush palette, from the pastiches of Bruno�s B movies, the iconic portrayal of Berlusconi, money falling from the sky, all smiles with crooked sunglasses, slow motion girls dancing around him, show the showmanship, flash and bravado of the man who would be king. The lyricism of life, and the simple orchestration of human beings are stunning; witness Bruno and his wife�s dance in traffic, and feel your heart soar. These moments are elegiac, intense and resonate with deep emotion.

The Caiman, is a tour de force. Once again Moretti, is a director on top of his game. Holding up an incisive yet tender mirror up to nature, he provides that greatest of duties allowing us to see our imperfections, weakness, warts and all, and our greatness, compassion, and strengths, all in the same moment.