Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
In a classic tale of good guys vs. bad guys, “Elf Me” is an enchanting-but-sometimes-creepy tale of one of Santa’s elves, who finds himself trapped in the mountain village of San Nicola al Monte during the week of Christmas, where the town’s two toy sellers are battling it out during the holiday rush.
Trip, hilariously played by beloved comedian Lillo Petrolo, has the power to bring toys to life for his boss, Santa Claus. One day, while strolling the misfit warehouse, looking through the toys that were sent back to the North Pole by the children who received them, one of the toys takes revenge and sends Trip across the world to fall down a chimney as a toy himself.
He lands in the living room of a single mother (Anna Foglietta) and her son, Elia Federico Ielapi). When Elia discovers Trip in the middle of the night, she is shaken and orders Trip to leave. However, the only way that Trip can get back to the North Pole is if Elia writes a letter and sends the “toy” back.
When Elia discovers Trip’s magical powers of bringing toys to life, he says that he will write the letter only if Trip does an overhaul on his mother’s toy shop and saves her failing business just in time for Christmas. Trip agrees, and the two end up forming a bond. When the mother’s competition, an unscrupulous salesman (Claudio Santamaria), receives numerous calls from people canceling their orders of the season’s hottest toy, he grows suspicious and vows to find out the reason behind her sudden success.
Co-produced and co-written by Gabriele Mainetti, the writer and director of the international hit thriller, “Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot” (“They Call Me Jeeg Robot”), the film has his signature fairytale elements and, as always, features his real-life best friend, Santamaria. In a 2016 interview with Fra Noi, Mainetti told us that an essential component of his screenwriting is having his characters go through a transformation. “The power of change is a theme that really interests me. The truth is that it’s very difficult to change. So, when you look at my short films and my movie, you see that change is possible,” he said.
That transformation was evident in all of the main characters of the film, especially in Trip and Elia. The two do not get off to a smooth start, but they develop a close bond over the course of the film and care deeply for each other. Also apparent is the influence of American cinema on Mainetti, which he mentioned in our 2016 interview when he talked about the impact the series “Breaking Bad” had on his storytelling. In “Elf Me,” there are two scenes in which there are homages to Steven Spielberg’s 1982 “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and Joe Dante’s 1984 thriller, “Gremlins.” Those films clearly inspire both scenes but have Mainetti’s signature Italian touch, which echoes commedia all’italiana and the self-deprecating hero.
“Elf Me” is a good choice if you’re looking for an unusual Christmas tale during the holiday season. To view on Amazon Prime, click here.
