Riveting in an insidious way, this Italian drama continues the long-standing European filmmaking tradition of excoriating the bourgeoisie. Although most of the characters are unpleasant, and some are downright nasty, Human Capital still manages to realistically depict lives full of human fallibility, insecurity, jealousy, lust and anger.

Based on the book by Stephen Amidon, Paolo Virzì’s film – which is superior to most middle-class tales – is essentially a social drama which focuses on the differences between the middle classes and the rich, and ultimately decides that neither is very pleasant, but that’s just the way it is.