So much of our lives are spent chained to a steering wheel with much of that time forgotten, especially if your job requires lots of driving. With this focus on the daily struggle to earn a living, Garau harkens back to the classic Italian Neo-Realist movement. In many ways, The Accident (L’Incidente) is a lot like The Bicycle Thief, except with a tow truck instead of a bicycle. The vehicle is elevated in importance for survival to a necessity to live—like air and water. Many American audiences will identify with this, as the vast majority would not be able to perform their job if their car is not working. It is also refreshing to see a movie where people are breaking their a***s open to make ends meet, just like you are.
“The beat of the action and immediacy achieved is embroidered with some wickedly funny dialogue.”
However, Garau’s biggest cinema trick up his sleeve is a complete resurrection of that classic independent movie glow that shined out throughout the 80s. So many times, I felt like I was watching an earlier work by Jim Jarmusch or Alex Cox. The beat of the action and immediacy achieved is embroidered with some wickedly funny dialogue. Despite the grim stakes of survival, The Accident (L’Incidente) is an art-house laugh riot. Garau writes a workday banter that busts out vulgar at the best time to make your guts dance. Everyone here is on the job and has some mad s**t-talking to get done. The hilarious moments pile up quickly like snow drifts in a laughter blizzard.
What comes across more than anything else is that maverick vibration at the core of the indie sector. This movie embodies the idea of grabbing a camera and making a story with nothing but imagination and gasoline fumes. This is the kind of independent film that runs wild and free instead of sitting quietly in the confines of its small budget. It has exactly that kind of indie fever of the movies that drove me to pick up my first issue of Film Threat over three decades ago. Check out The Accident (L’Incidente) and get down like we did back in the day on the streets.
The Accident (L’Incidente) screened at the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…felt like I was watching an earlier work by Jim Jarmusch or Alex Cox."
[…] The Accident (L’Incidente) is ballsy AF, and I’m so happy for Giuseppe Garau’s Grand Jury Prize win! First of all, he nailed the thing I’m talking about. He made a super watchable movie with a risky as-all-get-out device…, and it paid off big. WOW, and wow to his lead actress as well. Just so good! I’m not even going to mention what the device is because it’s so fun to slowly realize this as you watch his film. […]
[…] The Accident (L’Incidente) is ballsy AF, and I’m so happy for Giuseppe Garau’s Grand Jury Prize win! First of all, he nailed the thing I’m talking about. He made a super watchable movie with a risky as-all-get-out device…, and it paid off big. WOW, and wow to his lead actress as well. Just so good! I’m not even going to mention what the device is because it’s so fun to slowly realize this as you watch his film. […]