You are here:

Tolo Tolo

Name: Tolo Tolo
Director: Checco Zalone
Released: 2020
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

2020

Director

Checco Zalone

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Tolo Tolo broadens the typical Italian comedic scope by relocating the story to Kenya and focusing on the migrant experience. This shift disrupts provincial narratives by incorporating global perspectives and African characters into the protagonist's journey. However, the film remains tied to traditional archetypes. It lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities and disability, and female characters are confined to conventional roles rather than being used to challenge social hierarchies. Ultimately, the film succeeds in diversifying its cultural landscape through its setting and themes of migration, even if it avoids more radical social critiques.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Tolo Tolo have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not explore LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional gender expressions. It stays within traditional social structures without addressing same-sex relationships or challenging the assumption that everyone is straight.

How does Tolo Tolo portray gender?

Fair

Female characters play conventional social roles. The story emphasizes the protagonist's economic struggles rather than challenging traditional gender roles or male dominance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Tolo Tolo?

Good

Setting the story in Kenya helps move beyond a Eurocentric viewpoint. The protagonist's interactions with African characters give them significant roles and depth during the journey.

How does Tolo Tolo represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film offers a satirical take on Western economic systems and institutional practices. It critiques taxation and banking secrecy but does not deeply examine religious or capitalist ideologies.

Does Tolo Tolo include disability representation?

Limited

The film does not focus on physical or invisible disabilities. Characters are defined by their regional identities and economic status rather than any disabilities.

Present on Screen

The Kenyan setting and focus on the migrant journey break a purely Eurocentric perspective.
African characters are portrayed with depth and significance as companions to the protagonist.
The film provides a satirical critique of Western economic structures and institutionalized practices.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks meaningful representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional gender expressions.
Gender roles remain traditional, with female characters functioning within conventional social roles.
There is no significant focus on characters with physical or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Checco is a young Apulian entrepreneur dreamer who has opened a sushi restaurant in his Apulia. However, after one month, the restaurant went bankrupt and he chose to emigrate to Africa to escape from debt. Here he adapts to being a waiter in a resort in Kenya, but at the outbreak of a civil war he decides to embark on a stowaway trip on a boat for migrants to Europe and chooses to do it with his African friends. However, he would not like to return to Italy, but rather to go to Liechtenstein where banking secrecy is in force and there is a lower tax burden than in Italy.

How are these scores produced? →