Beneath the jocular title, a house is very busy dividing against itself in Daniele Luchetti's "My Brother Is an Only Child."

The house is Italy, whose crushing defeat in World War II led to a not-so-civil war in the domestic ashes. Six decades and four or five dozen governments later, the embers are still smoldering in the chaos of Italian politics.

In the 1960s and '70s, however, the flames were far from under control, illuminating as well as consuming families like the Benassis. Consider the fiery differences between Accio (Elio Germano), a zealous seminarian and equally zealous virgin at the outset, and his elder brother, Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio), a union rabble-rouser.

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'My Brother Is an Only Child'

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

• Starring: Elio Germano, Riccardo Scamarcio.
• Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
• Movie trailer: movies.yahoo.com

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At Manrico's urging, Accio soon abandons his vocation -- much to their parents and sister's chagrin. ("We could've used a priest in the family!") Now they're unhappily back together again, stuck in the provincial town of Latina, where they've languished for years on the waiting list for council housing. Accio is ripe for another conversion -- to the not-so-latent fascist sympathies of the local bourgeoisie, still yearning for Mussolini and his false promises. Director Luchetti even provides them with an ironic anthem: Petula Clark's torchy old "I Will Follow Him."

A fascist in the family turns out to be almost as handy as a priest, but no more so than a Communist -- which Manrico becomes. But Manrico is as much a lover as a fighter who, once on the lam, turns his diffident gal Francesca (Diane Fleri) over to Accio.

Two brothers want to remake the world in different ways, with plenty of thugs and obstacles on both sides. Their polarized, paralyzed sibling rivalry is leavened by touches of humor in the family dynamic and political struggle (including a hilarious "de-fascisted" performance of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" that leads to a riot). But overall, it's a more serio than comic melodrama, not to be confused with the similarly titled book by Jack Douglas, a prizefighter-comedian from the Jack Paar Show's heyday.

Fine performances are turned in by the leading men and by Angela Finocchiaro and Massimo Popolizio as their parents. The compelling script is by Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli, screenwriters of 2003's much acclaimed "Best of Youth." But this one is less grandiose and more accessible, reminiscent of a Bernardo Bertolucci film.

The political message is ambivalent. The emotional moral of the story is clear: Beware of becoming your brother's girlfriend's keeper.

In Italian with English subtitles, "Brother" opens Friday at the Regent Square Theater.