La Grazia

La Grazia is the tenth feature film by Italian master director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty), and the seventh time Toni Servillo takes the lead role. Servillo plays Mariano De Santis, an Italian president who, at the end of his term, is confronted with profound moral dilemmas.

As is often the case with Sorrentino, the focus is not just on politics, but above all on the inner world of his protagonist, who grapples with guilt, responsibility, and forgiveness—both in a political and personal sense. The film is a beautifully stylized, layered, and at times humorous drama. The title La Grazia plays on the word’s dual meaning: grace as in elegance and grace as in pardon or mercy.

La Grazia was the opening film of the most recent Venice Film Festival, where Toni Servillo was awarded Best Actor.