In Finally Down, Saverio Costanzo pays homage to the cinematic legacy of Fellini and the “Hollywood on the Tiber” days of Rome’s Cinecittà studio.
The feature, which premiered in Venice last year, boasts star-making performance by Italian lead Rebecca Antonaci as an innocent swept up in a wild night straight out of La Dolce Vita, as she tags along with an American movie diva, played by Lily James.
The slightly shady entourage is led by Willem Dafoe as American expat art dealer, and Rachel Sennott as up-and-coming actor who wants to be the next Hollywood queen.
Costanzo directed Adam Driver in the 2014 romantic thriller Hungry Hearts, but is probably best known to U.S. viewers as the creator and showrunner of the hit HBO series My Brilliant Friend.
Finally Dawn is a love letter to cinema, with set pieces that are feast for fans of Italian film. But Costanzo also brings the same feel for the precise period detail that elevated My Brilliant Friend.
The movie takes a cynical view of narcissistic actors and clear-eyed about the business behind making “movie magic.”
