Grand Delusions

Directed by Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah), Reality is a rather bizarre film about Luciano (Aniello Arena), a man who wants to be a contestant on a reality TV show so badly that he's willing to do just about anything. Lucinano's obsession begins when he spots the reality TV star Enzo (Raffaele Ferrante) at a wedding. He starts stalking the guy and sells off his fish stand in anticipation of getting a spot on the show, the equivalent of Big Brother. After he successfully auditions for the show and makes a second round of cuts, his obsession only increases. The film provides a fascinating study of the power of popular culture and features a terrific debut performance by Arena. It screens tonight at 6:45 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Jeff Niesel)