A director’s own ‘checks and balances’

Italian writer-director Paolo Sorrentino is one of those filmmakers who seem more comfortable letting their movies do the talking for them.

Lounging on a sofa in his suite at a Sunset Strip hotel, the lanky 38-year-old Sorrentino seems to be suffering from a case of ennui that even a pre-interview cigarette couldn’t cure. Perhaps it’s the sweltering heat that has made Sorrentino so languid, or he could just be a man of few words. It’s not quite pulling teeth to talk to him, but his favorite expression seems to be: “Si, si, si.”

The opening of his latest film, “Il Divo,” which won the Prix du Jury at Cannes last year, is the reason Sorrentino is in town. Riveting, fascinating and sometimes darkly humorous, “Il Divo” is an epic biopic of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti (Toni Servillo), one of the most notorious politicians in postwar Italy.

The film revolves around the period in 1992 when Andreotti’s Christian Democratic Party was falling apart due to a nationwide bribery scandal. Soon, all eyes were upon Andreotti, who was accused of murder and collusion as part of a conspiracy that also involved the Vatican, the Mafia and the neo-Fascist Masonic Lodge P2. This all-powerful politician, who resembles Nosferatu in a suit and tie, later found himself in court for what was known in Italy as “the trial of the century.”

Through a translator, Sorrentino explains that he doesn’t feel “Il Divo” is just a film about Italian politics. “It is actually more a metaphor about power,” he says, leaning back in the sofa. “Though it can have its specific incarnations, it’s really universal. Being in a position of power necessarily causes compromises, and this happens absolutely everywhere.”

The Naples-born filmmaker, who began his career as a screenwriter and earned international acclaim as a director for his 2004 thriller, “The Consequences of Love,” had always wanted to make a film about Andreotti. As a younger man, he was outraged by the political climate in Italy. He says he waited until he felt “secure enough as a filmmaker” to tackle the politician.

And he isn’t worried about retribution from Andreotti, who at 90 is still involved in politics, for making the film.

“He’s not the man of power that he used to be,” Sorrentino says matter-of-factly. “He hasn’t been for quite a while.”

While all of Italy seemed captivated during “the trial of the century,” these days, says Sorrentino, “there is a general disinterest on the public’s part [about politics], so there are no checks and balances of political power.”

Still, he says, “Il Divo” was a commercial success last year in Italy. “Obviously, a lot of people wanted to see the subject matter. What was surprising was the really high interest and turnout from young people who didn’t know anything about politics from that era.”

Was it true that Andreotti went to a screening and walked out?

“No,” says Sorrentino, breaking into a small smile. “He tried to leave, but they kept him there and forced him to watch it.”

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susan.king@latimes.com