After its presentation at the Venice 81 Giornate degli Autori, the film La scommessa – Una notte in corsia by Giovanni Dota, cinematographer Jacopo Caramella CCS, is now in cinemas. Starring Carlo Buccirosso, Lino Musella, Nando Paone, Iaia Forte, Yari Gugliucci, Vittorio Ciorcalo, Chiarastella Sorrentino, Clotilde Sabatino, Elvira Zingone, Biagio Manna, Nello Iorio, Antonio Friello. It is produced by IIF and Rai Cinema. In cinemas from 12 September, distributed by I Wonder Pictures.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES – GIOVANNI DOTA
This film is inspired by Italy’s rich comedy tradition, which Monicelli once described as “tragedies that make you laugh”. Two key elements shape the narrative and staging: unity of time and place. The entire story unfolds in one night, within the confines of a hospital. While this structure may seem theatrical, it allowed us to work with a cast that was not only artistically and comically talented but also highly experienced and attuned to the specific demands of the setting. In this controlled environment, free from external disruptions, the actors had the opportunity to meticulously rehearse their movements and lines, moving together as a single, cohesive unit. The camera follows them through the hospital’s maze-like corridors, rarely adopting the characters’ point of view, instead observing them, distorted, pitiless, before abandoning them, like a watchful but indifferent god.
La scommessa – Una notte in corsia focuses on human nature, casting a critical eye on everyone, sparing no one. We wanted to tell the story of two people in ordinary, uninspiring jobs, unmotivated and indifferent, yet confronted daily with death — the true inspiration for the film. The hospital setting felt like the most fitting backdrop, allowing us to establish the tone and attitudes necessary for the dark comedy we aimed to create.
NOTES ON CINEMATOGRAPHY – JACOPO CARAMELLA
The film tells the story – set on the night of Ferragosto in a decaying hospital in Naples – of a cynical bet between two nurses that reveals the darker sides of the institution, along with the characters’ selfishness and residual desires from a life spent in the hospital wards. The story unfolds in a timeless space, though set in the present day, suggesting an ambiguous and disorienting atmosphere with a slightly outdated look. The pastel colour palette and the warm light tones strike a balance between the film’s comedic elements and its nocturnal soul, achieving an aesthetic synthesis that captures both the dramatic undertones of the film and the dark side of the characters, making use of undertones and shadows even in the most grotesque moments.
The heart of the film lies in the characters and their intense confrontations. Due to the nature of the spaces and the need to allow freedom for interpretation, a tableau-like visual language was chosen, with composed and minimal camera movements, drawing inspiration from the essentiality of much of Italian Comedy, and capturing real-time performances as much as possible.
The basic lighting setup included numerous practical lights typical of hospital environments – ceiling lights, bedside lamps, desk lamps, surgical lamps, etc. – all specifically replaced to allow for easy control in combination, making the large spaces uniform. Additionally, highly filtered top lights were used to reinforce the lighting, leaving the set clear and allowing for better control of contrasts. LED technology was crucial in providing this flexibility for scene movements, ensuring soft, controlled light that maintained consistency in contrasts. It also allowed many light sources to be hung, even in difficult spaces for the crew to manage, enabling a single setup to be planned for each scene, with real-time adjustments.
