Film is more about the location than the drama
Cast: Carmen Aguirre, Alexandra Lainfiesta Director: Carolyn Combs
Duration: 1 h 28 m Available: On demand
Wikipedia describes Vancouver’s Commercial Drive as “a popular place for Vancouverites who want to experience a safe version of North American counterculture.” That sounds a little condescending, both to the city’s broader population and to the diverse group that calls the neighbourhood home.
A much more sympathetic portrayal can be found in Bella Ciao!, shot very much on location by local filmmaker Carolyn Combs. Unfolding over the course of one day, the film focuses on Chilean refugee Constanza ( Carmen Aguirre, playing a version of herself ), and her daughter Soledad ( Alexandra Lainfiesta), who is trying to balance how to be a caregiver for her mother and how to best look after herself.
The sprawling cast captures the always- in- flux nature of the neighbourhood, as we meet a trio of elderly Italians who know their coffee; a baby-faced petty criminal (Indigenous actor Taran Kootenhayoo); random artists and activists and more. In some ways, the story that emerges is more documentary snapshot of the region than full-fledged drama, and the meandering plot may not engage all viewers.
The film’s title is taken from a 19th- century Italian protest folksong, translated and borrowed by Chileans living under Pinochet, and by a good many others the world over. Its dark lyrics make a nice counterpoint to the jaunty performance of the song in the movie, once more underscoring the varied and contradictory nature of this East end setting. ΠΠ1/2