Human Capital blends a razor-sharp depiction of Italian class tension with an engrossing mystery. Based on a novel by American author Stephen Amidon, the film unfolds in separate chapters, each of which repeats the same events from the different perspectives of various characters. The film, deriving its title from the world of insurance, boasts powerful performances all around, especially by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (sister of Carla Bruni) as the neglected, troubled wife of super rich Giovanni (Fabrizio Gifune). Matilde Gioli is also especially riveting as Serena, the morally torn daughter of the social climbing, loquacious and greedy buffoon, Dino (Fabrizio Bentivoglio). In this age of corporate golden parachutes, the milieu of persistent greed could not be better portrayed than here. By film’s end Human Capital provides not only a highly entertaining suspense yarn but also a cynical but spot-on warning of what rountinely happens when self-interest obliterates empathy and when human values take a backseat to ambition.