
The Cyclone (Italian: Il ciclone) is a 1996 Italian Romantic Comedy film, written and directed by Leonardo Pieraccioni who also stars as the protagonist. Lorena Forteza, Massimo Ceccherini, Barbara Enrichi, Alessandro Haber, and Tosca D'Aquino round up the main cast.
Levante Quarini is a mild-mannered accountant living just outside of an unnamed Tuscan town with his father Osvaldo, his closeted lesbian sister Selvaggia, and his wannabe artist brother Libero. He leads a monotone life, offering his services to the various shop-owners around town. One summer, his life is turned upside-down by some unexpected newcomers: a flamenco troupe from Spain, who got lost travelling the countryside while looking for their guest house. Since the guest house, not seeing anyone arrive, has cancelled their reservation, the troupe is forced to stay overnight at the Quarini residence. The novelty shocks the entire town, and Levante sees himself drawn to the lead dancer, the attractive Caterina...
The film was a commercial and critical success, receiving among other accolades three "David di Donatello" (Italy's own Oscars), and grossed $44 million overall, becoming the highest-grossing Italian film at the time.
This film provides examples of:
- Artistic License – Linguistics: Caterina is Spanish, but her name is the Italian variant of the name Catherine; the Spanish version should've been "Catalina". Likewise with troupe director Naldone, whose name doesn't sound Spanish in the slightest.
- Butch Lesbian: Selvaggia has Boyish Short Hair, doesn't wear make-up and is mostly seen in denim dungarees, not to mention that her atypical name literally means "wild". Both her love interests, Penélope and Isabella, are much more femme.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: It's only revealed at the end that Gino (the guy who shouts at Levante from his window) is actually Levante's grandfather. Levante always calls him by name, never "granddad".
- Country Mouse: Levante and all of his fellow townspeople. In an inversion of the trope, the Country Mice do not move from their hometown, rather it's the arrival of "exotic" characters that rocks their world.
- Cringe Comedy: The farewell dinner scene, thanks to the antics of a drunk Carlina.
- Dead Guy Junior: Levante and Caterina name their son Gino, like Levante's grandfather who died during the Time Skip.
- Death Seeker: Played for Laughs. Libero swears death on himself if he doesn't manage to hook up with one of the dancers. Levante finds him lying in the casket that he was keeping under his bed.Libero: Seal me, Levante. Seal me if you love me.
- Despair Event Horizon: Naldone gets close to crossing it when he's forced to cancel the tour and almost goes bankrupt, though thankfully his romance with Franca saves him.
- Dirty Old Man: Gino.
- Disposable Fiancé: Levante is in love with Caterina, but she's already in a relationship with Alejandro. Conveniently, he's an abusive asshole, and after a heated discussion she dumps him and gets with Levante.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: An evidently aroused Libero watches a dance rehearsal while repeatedly tugging on his copper spray pump.
- Green-Eyed Monster: A jealous Isabella crashes the troupe's farewell dinner and rips into Selvaggia.
- Eskimos Aren't Real: When one of the dancers says she's Catalan (as in hailing from the Autonomous Community of Catalonia), Libero is confused. Levante takes him aside and "explains" that "Catalan" isn't a real place, rather something that people say to show affiliation to a sports team, like "Atalanta" or "Sampdoria".note
- Funny Foreigner: The Italian variant of "Funny Southerner": Carlina, the town's herbalist, is loud, lascivious and speaks in a thick Neapolitan accent. Her participation in the troupe's farewell dinner is pure Cringe Comedy.
- Gayngst: Selvaggia is still in the closet with everyone except her brothers, and she feels the pressure from her out-and-proud girlfriend Isabella to come out publicly.
- Incoming Ham: Carlina arriving at the restaurant.Carlina: Good evening everyone, Spaniards and not!
- Love Triangle: Two Love Squares and a Triangle for good measure!
- The main plot of the film sees Levante and Caterina falling in love with each other, with Caterina's boyfriend Alejandro and Levante's old flame Carlina, who's still obsessed with him, on the sides.
- Then, a subplot sees Penélope attracting the affection of both Selvaggia and Libero (her reciprocally, him no) and consequently provoking the jealousy of Isabella, Selvaggia's on-again-off-again girlfriend.
- Lastly, the flamenco troupe's director Naldone falls in love with Franca, the town's bartender. Pippo the mechanic, who hooked up with Franca recently, goes up in jealous flames.
- Mistaken for Gay: As Isabella does her tirade in defense of coming out, a random customer in the pharmacy inserts himself in the conversation.Customer: (to Levante) She's right. If you're gay, say it.
Levante: Apart from the fact that we were just discussing between her and me and that's it...
[shortly after]
Isabella: We have to get out in the open, in bright daylight.
Customer: Get out in the open, daylight.
Levante: Won't you mind your own fucking business, you? - Mourning an Object: Levante totals his scooter when the brakes fail and he drives it at full speed into his house. He later gives it a "funeral", by wrapping the engine in the instruction manual and dumping it in a creek.
- No Romantic Resolution: Since the film is primarily told from Levante's POV, we don't know what happens exactly between Selvaggia, Penélope and Isabella after they come to blows during the dinner scene. It's implied that Selvaggia gave Penélope up, though.
- Operation: Jealousy: Knowing that Caterina's boyfriend is around, Levante asks Carlina to pose as his date to the farewell dinner to make Caterina jealous. Unfortunately, Carlina is a little too much into it...
- Parting-from-Consciousness Words: Levante, after he careens at full speed on his motorcycle into the wall.Levante: I didn't get hurt! Don't worry, I didn't get hurt! *passes away*
- Plucky Comic Relief: Libero.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Fundamentally how all romances in this film play out. Caterina, whose boyfriend Alejandro is an obnoxious asshole, falls in love with funny, sweet Levante. Franca initially hooks up with the lecherous Pippo but eventually chooses the neurotic but well-meaning Naldone over him. And in a same-sex example, Selvaggia finds herself attracted to Nice Girl Penélope instead of the overbearing Isabella.
- El Spanish "-o": The siblings, who don't speak Spanish, attempt to communicate with the dancers by merely adding an "-s" at the end of their words. It leads to this wonderful sentence:Libero: I wonder how to say "dò il ramato"...note "Dos los ramatos".
- Surprisingly Bad Native Language: In the Italian original version, almost all Spanish characters (flamenco dancers), when speaking in Spanish, make a lot of mistakes, showing clearly that they are not at all native speakers (although they are supposed to not speak Italian either). The accent is more or less correct, but it all sounds strange and disturbing to a native speaker.
- Terrible Artist: Libero, whose output mostly consists of painted landscapes with the phrase "Dio c'è?" ("Is God there?") written on top of them. After the troupe's arrival — a troupe consisting of several attractive women — we're shown one of his paintings edited to read "Dio c'è!! Ora c'ho le prove" ("God is there!! Now I have proof").
- Testosterone Poisoning: Alejandro — Caterina's boyfriend — is an obnoxious Macho Latino hunter who checks all the boxes of toxic masculinity.
- Time Skip: The epilogue takes place one year after the rest of the story, showing Levante living in Spain with Caterina and their child.
- Train-Station Goodbye: Subverted, twice. Levante is told that Caterina has already left for the station, and he assumes she's leaving for Spain (she's not; she was just meeting her boyfriend). He starts to chase after a moving train believing her to be on it, and when he realises his mistake he has to improvise a Bavarian Fire Drill to justify himself in front of a bemused passenger. Later on, in his final narration, he mentions accompanying Caterina back at the station to part ways for good, at least until he decides to get on the train too and go live with her.
- Uptight Loves Wild: Mild-mannered country accountant Levante falls in love with passionate flamenco dancer Caterina.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: The Quattrini siblings are named Levante ("East"/"rising"), Libero ("free") and Selvaggia ("wild"/"savage"). Levante discusses this with Caterina by stating that his father was a bit of a revolutionary.
Gino: ¡Olé!
