Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti) Italy, 110 minutes Directed by: Ferzan Ozpetek Starring: Riccardo Scamarcio, Nicole Grimaudo and Ennio Fantastichini We no longer live in a generation of secret-keeping. People are encouraged to be proud and express who they are. But does revealing all your secrets really lay the path to happiness for everyone? Ferzan Ozpetek's Loose Cannons tenderly juxtaposes the secrets and confessions of different generations of the quirky pasta-making Cantone family. It opens with a breathtaking sequence in the stunning Puglia countryside, flashing back in time as the family's elderly matriarch is depicted as a distraught young bride, her veil trailing behind her. The secret she has carried for decades provides the backdrop for the film. We soon meet the broodingly gorgeous Tommaso (Riccardo Scamarcio), the youngest member of the family and a great hope for the future of the pasta business. He has been living a covert life in Rome – he has studied literature rather than business, has written a book he is attempting to have published. And he is gay. Tomasso has returned home to come out to his family and confides in his diligent older brother Antonio, that he was more than just ‘friends' with a school buddy, “I've been gay since then. He and I never played with toy cars”. As the family gathers for dinner, a secret is revealed, but it's not Tomasso who makes a revelation which leaves the youngest Cantone unable to return to Rome and his waiting boyfriend. He is left wrestling with being loyal to his traditional and overbearing father or speaking up and living the life he chooses. Loose Cannons has humour, heart and cinematography that will make you gasp. It is a memorable take on the intimate question of whether true happiness comes from living the life you choose secretly, or out in the open. Loose Cannons is showing at the Italian Film Festival in locations across the country. Click here for more details Jacqui Stanford - 26th October 2010