Muddy Stilettos

Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti, Milvia Marigliano, Massimo Venturiello



Director: Paolo Sorrentino



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1974" height="150" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2024-01-14-at-15.48.55.png" alt="4 stars" class="wp-image-134745" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2024-01-14-at-15.48.55.png 1974w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2024-01-14-at-15.48.55-600x46.png 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2024-01-14-at-15.48.55-1000x76.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot-2024-01-14-at-15.48.55-1536x117.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1974px) 100vw, 1974px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-7-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134711" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-7-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-7-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-7-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



I know, I know. In these, um, politically unstable times we’re currently enduring, a film about an outgoing president might not be top of everyone’s watchlist – even if said president is played by the wonderful&nbsp;Toni Servillo. But unlike reading the latest headlines about what one of our current world leaders has done next (and consequently wanting to scream into a pillow),&nbsp;La Grazia&nbsp;actually restored some of my faith in politics, humanity and life in general. It’s just a shame it’s not based on a true story.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-2-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134715" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-2-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-2-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-2-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



In La Grazia, Servillo plays Mariano De Santis, Italy’s president. After a successful tenure, the film focuses on his final few months in office, when he faces a number of decisions – both personal and political. Professionally, there is one last bill to consider, a decision which leads him to visit an inmate in prison to try and understand his motives for killing his wife. Personally, he must reconnect with his children while grappling with grief after the loss of his wife, and an old heartbreak that resurfaces as he tries to uncover the identity of the man she had an affair with twenty years earlier.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_BTS-2.jpg" alt="Paulo Sorrentino and Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134705" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_BTS-2.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_BTS-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_BTS-2-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



If that synopsis hasn’t quite convinced you yet, bear with me.&nbsp;La Grazia&nbsp;reunites Servillo with director&nbsp;Paolo Sorrentino (above) for the first time since the Oscar-winning&nbsp;The Hand of God, and that alone should pique the interest of cinephiles everywhere. Thankfully, it’s a creative partnership that clearly hasn’t lost any of its magic. Sorrentino&#8217;s trademark baroque aesthetic and stylised sweeping camera movements paired with Servillo&#8217;s emotional nuance is a sight to behold.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-1-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134716" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-1-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-1-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-1-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The film is surprisingly laugh-out-loud funny in places. I mean, what’s not to love about seeing the 70-year-old Italian president rapping along to real life Italian rapper Guè&#8217;s music? There’s a brilliant moment where De Santis has headphones in and is rapping away with just one guard in the room, who is visibly trying to keep it together – much like the rest of the cinema I was sitting in. In one of his final acts as president he even knights Guè, which I particularly loved. Come on Keir – take note!



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-3-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134714" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-3-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-3-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-3-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



But&nbsp;La Grazia&nbsp;also knows when to slow down. Servillo staring directly down the camera took my breath away on several occasions. You really feel the weight he carries: the grief of losing his wife, the sting of her infidelity, the unanswered question of who it was with, the distance from his children, his declining health, and the looming void of life after a hugely successful career in public service. It’s heavy stuff, conveyed largely through Servillo’s often devastating performance.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-11-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Toni Sorvillo in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134707" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-11-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-11-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-11-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The soundtrack deserves a mention too, as with any Sorrentino film, the music is bold, theatrical and a character in scenes in its own right. And then there’s the chicness. The outfits, the effortless Italian style, the whole aesthetic – it’s all&nbsp;chef’s kiss. No notes. Anna Ferzetti who plays De Santis&#8217; daughter Dorotea and Milvia Marigliano who plays his best friend Coco Valori were particularly well dressed. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-4-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg" alt="Anna Ferzetti in La Grazia" class="wp-image-134706" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-4-©-Andrea-Pirrello.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-4-©-Andrea-Pirrello-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LA-GRAZIA_Still-4-©-Andrea-Pirrello-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



I admit the synopsis won&#8217;t necessarily have you queuing for front row seats, but La Grazia is well worth a watch. As De Santis describes himself in the film, La Grazia&nbsp;is something of an acquired taste – but one that is well worth acquiring. I am already looking forward to watching again, this time to ignore the subtitles and just take in Sorrentino&#8217;s stunning cinematography. 



La Grazia is out in cinemas nationwide from Fri 20 Mar



Reviewed by Claire Hool



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Film review: ‘La Grazia’ (12A)

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