{"id":60661,"date":"2025-05-27T18:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T22:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/?p=60661"},"modified":"2025-05-27T18:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T22:54:08","slug":"conjuring-history-trauma-and-moviemaking-at-open-roads-new-italian-cinema-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/2025\/05\/27\/conjuring-history-trauma-and-moviemaking-at-open-roads-new-italian-cinema-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Conjuring History, Trauma and Moviemaking at Open Roads: New Italian Cinema \u201825"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Roger Costa<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n

THE TIME IT TAKES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lyrical and heartbreaking, Francesca Comencini\u2019s autobiographical homage to her late father, the great Italian director Luigi Comencini, is a fascinating and bold exploration on the father\/daughter facing conflicts\/remorse drama. She courageously opens up about her inspirational relationship with her father, how unconditionally they loved each other and mostly how he tried to rescue her from failure and drug addiction. Fabrizio Gifuni gives a charismatic and affecting performance as the father, playing a role model, a hero, a rescuer and a very active filmmaker. As a child, she was always on set with him. Romana Maggiora Vergano, who plays a young Francesca, simply devours each frame she\u2019s in, delivering a masterclass in youth transgression and hopelessness. Highly emotional and endearing, Comencini pays tribute to the art of filmmaking and the cycle of life, while reverencing her father\u2019s virtues and principles.<\/p>\n

(Screens May 29 and June 3)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

DIAMONDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Addressing women\u2019s empowerment and their influential role in the entertainment industry, Ferzan \u00d6zpetek\u2019s female-driven comedy brings an efficient ensemble cast forming a group of fashion designers assigned for a last-minute order to create period costumes for a renowned Oscar-winner designer. As the talented women scramble and run against time to promptly deliver it, they are also caught up by their family issues and personal struggles. Led by fabulous performances by Luisa Ranieri and Jasmine Trinca as the two sisters running the 1970\u2019s atelier, it\u2019s an uplifting and reaffirming statement on female determination, the steps of a creative journey and the strength of community.<\/p>\n

(Screens May 29 and June 3)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BASILEIA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Making a promising directorial debut, Isabella Torre crafts an unconventional archaeological, science-fiction thriller inhabited by strange, hypnotic creatures. Shot in medieval-like colors and structured as a folk-puzzle, mysteriously introducing the audience to the landscapes and wild animals of Calabria, it follows a foreigner known as \u201cthe Irishman\u201d who seeks the help of an African immigrant to help him locate some \u201ctreasure\u201d. But digging mother earth turns out to be riskier and potentially supernatural than they\u2019ve expected- Nature\u2019s revenge include sending over its messengers\/soldiers embodied as female ghosts. Blending genres efficiently, extracting convincing performances from the cast and creating a remarkable sense of atmospheric tension, Torre crafts a fresh and authentic eco-horror, proving she is one filmmaker to watch.<\/p>\n

(Screens May 30)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

PATERNAL LEAVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adventurous and observational, this timely drama depicts the broken relationship and attempt at reconstructing a bond between a never-present father and a rebellious, full of questions daughter. Running away from her home in Germany, 15-year-old Leo (a moving and relatable performance by Juli Grabenhenrich) goes to Italy in search of the father she\u2019s never met, Paolo (the always great and charismatic Luca Marinelli). Ready to put the cards on the table and question him about his decisions, Leo won\u2019t back down until her father takes responsibility for his actions and tries to repair the emotional and moral damage caused to her. Alissa Jung\u2019s directorial feature debut casts a powerful look at the dimensions of an uncomfortable family situation with delicacy and precision: learning to love a member you\u2019ve never known.<\/p>\n

(Screens May 31 and June 4)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LUCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

A mind-bending character study, constantly framing its protagonist in revealing close-ups, this intimate, utterly anxious and metaphorical portrait of a lonely woman navigating illusion, reality and confusion feels like a horror response to neo-realism. Directed by Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellino, it brings a breakthrough, mesmerizing turn by Marianna Fontana, a working-class woman, suffocated by her factory line job, and trying to connect with her father who\u2019s behind bars. Enigmatic and mysterious, it keeps you on the edge of your seat while subtly disclosing a working-rights pro-message.<\/p>\n

(Screens May 31. Directors in attendance)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

WHERE THE NIGHT STANDS STILL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gorgeously shot in B&W this is a meditative exploration on the human connection, resentment and the emotional contrasts of migrating. Liryc Dela Cruz\u2019s blend of dramatization and personal doc captures life as it is through the interactions between three Filipino siblings reunited when the elderly inherit her late boss\u2019 property. Cruz encapsulates the honesty and veracity of their exchanging emotional conflicts, leading them to repair the pain and wounds of the past. Deeply sensitive and humane, it also raises questions on the emotional trauma and cultural clash that come along with the process of migrating.<\/p>\n

(Screens June 1 and 3)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

VITTORIA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Filmmaker Alessandro Cassigoli and journalist Casey Kauffman\u2019s fourth collaboration is an intimate exploration on the maternal motivations of a hairdresser going through an existential crisis. Playing a version of herself, Marilena Amato conquers the viewer\u2019s heart with a lovely representation of female intuition, desire, and intimacy. Living with her husband and three sons, she believes she must have another child, an expected daughter whom she sees in dreams. Influenced by neo-realism, the result is a very touching and complex pro-life docu-drama.<\/p>\n

(Screens June 1 and 3)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

FAMILIA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nominated for eight Donatello Awards, director Francesco Costabile\u2019s powerful drama spans decades in the life of a family in crisis, struggling with abuse, violence and extremism. Based on a real story, it depicts the abusive and extremely violent behavior of a father towards his wife, endangering the lives of his sons. As these kids grow-up, traumatized and divided, one of them becomes involved in a skinhead-Nazi rebel group, as a preparation to continuing to battle his father\u2019s manners. Thrilling, brilliantly narrated and superbly acted, it\u2019s a dramatic masterpiece about a tragic, tempestuous home.<\/p>\n

(Screens June 1 and 5)<\/p>\n

(Presented by Film at Lincoln Center and Cinecitt\u00e0, the 24th edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema, runs from May 29 to June 5 at Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th<\/sup> Street. Go to <\/em>https:\/\/www.filmlinc.org\/festivals\/open-roads-new-italian-cinema\/#about<\/em><\/a> for full program, tickets and details)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Roger Costa THE TIME IT TAKES Lyrical and heartbreaking, Francesca Comencini\u2019s autobiographical homage to her late father, the great Italian director Luigi Comencini, is a fascinating and bold exploration on the father\/daughter facing conflicts\/remorse drama. She courageously opens up about her inspirational relationship with her father, how unconditionally they loved each other and mostly how he tried to rescue her from failure and drug addiction. Fabrizio Gifuni gives a charismatic and affecting performance as the father, playing a role model, a hero, a rescuer and a very active filmmaker. As a child, she was always on set with him. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,16],"tags":[],"views":1091,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60662,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60661\/revisions\/60662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brazilianpress.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}