A must-see for political junkies of any nationality, this dramatization of the late career of Giulio Andreotti, one of modern Italy's most enigmatic leaders, won the jury prize at Cannes last year with good reason.

Director Paolo Sorrentino takes the docudrama to a new level with his sophisticated portrait of the seven-time prime minister who reigned during the bloody Red Brigade period, among others. As the elegantly inscrutable Andreotti, Toni Servillo gets the audience as close as possible to the subtle layerings of a man who was powermonger and philosopher, who was tied to the Mafia but never convicted, and who enjoyed strolling empty streets at night (trailed by bodyguards) more than public adulation.

The arresting soundtrack ranges from Sibelius to Beth Orton.

Among his other achievements, Andreotti is also the master of the dry quip. When a woman at a social affair asks him, ''Do you dance?'' he replies, ``All my life.''

Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci.

Director/screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino.

Producers: Francesca Cima, Nicola Guliano, Andrea Occhipinti.

Running time: 117 minutes. In Italian with English subtitles. Playing in Miami-Dade only: Cosford.

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