Roberto Lipari and Annandrea Vitrano: "In the nature of the Sicilian, there is rebellion, from the Revolts of '48 to the Fasci. The dead from the mafia are many because we have fought the mafia."

We are the happy couple that lives in (almost) all high schools. You meet each other in the classrooms, get married, and after twenty years, you are still together. But an unpredictable, delirious, and comical night will change their lives. It’s a dive into the revelry, into the rites of adolescence, the new bittersweet ensemble comedy by Francesco Mandelli "Cena di Classe" – coming on March 26 – featuring Roberto Lipari and Annandrea Vitrano, from Palermo, as the seemingly idyllic couple made up of Marco and Laura. The project was conceived by Lipari and Andrea Pisani - starring alongside Beatrice Arnera, Herbert Ballerina, Giovanni Esposito, Nicola Nocella, Giulia Vecchio, Francesco Russo, and Vitrano - friends of Riccardo Zanotti from Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, who imagined a film inspired by the eponymous song.

The story narrates the crazy reunion of former high school classmates who meet, 17 years after graduation, at the funeral of one of them, the former filmmaker of the group, who had documented their dreams and hopes as teenagers. A tragicomic night follows in which the group unknowingly consumes a narcotic substance.

And the set, so filled with comedians, must have been quite lively. For Lipari and Vitrano, they recount in unison, "magical, a lot of fun," where a "beautiful atmosphere was created, in the end we were really a class, we even have a WhatsApp group." And Mandelli is a "great conductor." "The funniest scenes? Those with Giovanni Spositola, a widower, who sees his wife in the sheep Marisa."

"The idea of the initial funeral comes from an experience lived by Francesco, a class dinner after the death of a former high school classmate - says Lipari - From there came the question that kicks off the story: "If everything ended tomorrow, what life would we have lived?"

Who is your character? And what happens to the couple?

"I had the honor of writing it and I built a couple that is the opposite of mine. I have been in a relationship for 14 years, a very long couple's life, and I have just recently become a dad. In the film, however, this couple has built a giant with feet of clay, they have not faced the critical issues. The two realize they are playing a role, a part."

The former classmates unleash themselves in their old school, creating tragicomic situations.

«It’s a shake-up, a jolt to the lives of the protagonists. Perhaps at some point in their existence it would have happened anyway; it just accelerates the timing. The two pretended not to notice, they didn’t question themselves, maybe because while spinning in the wheel like hamsters in our lives, they hadn’t had the time or the desire to stop and reflect».

Not just a prank but a reflection on disillusionment and nostalgia. At the crossroads of entering adulthood.

«A comedy but not a frivolous one, that shows more complex feelings, delves into disappointments, unfulfilled desires, with a double register. And it’s also an extraordinary experience to work in a team of comedians. The moment we came up with a joke, we would pass it around, we would build on it».

Annandrea Vitrano has been paired with Claudio Casisa for many years in “I soldi spicci”.

«Here! A role in the cinema alone and I’m paired with a friend - she jokes - The film is a manifesto of the millennial generation, it gives voice to that middle generation, which is neither the old one, coddled by history, nor the Z generation of the very young. It portrays kids who had many projects, many dreams, destroyed by that “transition”. Things didn’t go as they wanted, they became the adults they didn’t expect to be. But the most beautiful, most important thing about the film is not to wallow in self-pity».

The couple breaks apart.

«They stayed together for many years, for everyone they are the happy couple, but it soon becomes clear that there are deep cracks. A couple in difficulty that cannot express things as they are until the epiphanic revelation. I like my character; she gave me the opportunity to explore many feelings, many languages. At first, she is perfect, orderly, precise, the wife who does everything as it should be done, but Laura is also funny, she cries, she is entertaining».

What relationship do you have with Sicily? What do you love and what can’t you stand?

«My relationship is like the one you have with your childhood friend. You grew up together, you discovered each other, you rejoiced, you cried, and during this evolution, change is natural. So just like with that friend, we try to build a balance to continue loving each other».

Lights and shadows of Palermo.

«I love feeling always protected; I know that anywhere in the city, if I needed a hand, there would be someone to lend it to me. I hate not being able to move around freely with public transport».

What should the Island free itself from?

«From the mentality of always having to be smarter than the other».

Sicily in three adjectives.

"Harsh, maharía, proud".

What does Sicily mean to Roberto Lipari?

"I grew up with the image of a Sicily where we are always sitting around not wanting to do anything, not wanting to change things. Instead, in my opinion, the Sicilian nature is rebellion. The Revolts of '48 were born in my Palermo, the first form of union was the Fasci lavoratori in Sicily, just as the deaths from the mafia are many because we have fought the mafia. Sicily has given me the desire to change things in my blood. As a comedian, I always carry the desire to mock power because I believe that the possibility of turning things around is still alive."

In his first film "Tuttapposto", he talked about corruption, about a "banned" university. Is Sicily irredeemable?

"The electoral system with blocked lists is the breeding ground for clientelism; we - are we too generous, perhaps? - help each other... Sicily sometimes seems surreal. The Ars provides wonderful assists to a comic author".

His relationship with Palermo?

"I owe everything to Palermo; I wouldn't be myself if I hadn't been born here, but I also know it has many flaws. It's complicated; I met Mayor Lagalla, and I told him that I have a daughter and that I would like her to walk peacefully in this city, and with what I feel, it’s not exactly like that. We must not deny that there is a problem with delinquency, but on the other hand, we shouldn't think that it’s all delinquency because it’s not."

Strengths and weaknesses of Sicily?

"The culture. Wherever I go, when I say I am Sicilian, no one associates me with something vulgar, tacky, or rough, as we think. Even those who haven't had the chance to study sense the smell of Archimedes and Pirandello; we carry it within us. I understand this when I talk to people. Culture does not mean having a lot of knowledge but using what you have to create reasoning. The flaw is that we often forget the great culture we possess and that we should defend more than anything else. We lose it, we don't take care of it, we don't invest in it. We are sitting on gold and we don't realize it."

THE POSTER

The film "Class Dinner," directed by Francesco Mandelli, will be in theaters starting March 26. Produced by Roadmovie and Medusa, screenplay by Roberto Lipari, Francesco Mandelli, Tiziana Martini, Andrea Pisani, Ignazio Rosato. Starring Beatrice Arnera, Herbert Ballerina, Giovanni Esposito, Roberto Lipari, Nicola Nocella, Andrea Pisani, Giulia Vecchio, Francesco Russo, and Annandrea Vitrano. The cast also includes Ninni Bruschetta, Debora Villa, Francesco Villa, Giulia Melillo, Giordano De Piano, Federico Russo.