Fame d’aria, the new film by Giuseppe Bonito, with cinematography by Alfredo Betrò CCS, will be presented today, 7 September, at the Venice International Film Festival as part of Confronti, within the Giornate degli Autori Side by Side programme (3.30 pm – Sala Laguna; advance booking required via the Giornate degli Autori website).
Based on Daniele Mencarelli’s novel of the same name, the film follows the journey of Pietro and his son Jacopo, an autistic boy. While travelling to Puglia, a car breakdown forces them to stop in a small village. Oliviero, a local mechanic, comes to their aid, while Agata, the owner of a bar that once also offered accommodation, gives them one of the old rooms to stay in. There, Gaia, who helps Agata run the bar, forms a deep bond with Pietro. Life in the village moves at a slow, monotonous pace, in a long wait that seems to suspend the two protagonists’ journey. The emergence of a dramatic truth, however, will prevent Pietro and Jacopo from continuing on their way.
Bonito approaches the story while retaining the novel’s harsh, uncompromising tone. At the heart of the film is the exhaustion of a father overwhelmed by everyday difficulties, debt and isolation, but also an attempt to portray Jacopo as a fully rounded individual, avoiding the simplifications and stereotypes that so often accompany portrayals of autism on screen.
The cast includes Paolo Pierobon as Pietro, Saverio Santangelo as Jacopo, Rosa Palasciano as Gaia, Milvia Marigliano as Agata and Alfonso Santagata as Oliviero.
The screenplay is by Monica Zapelli and Daniele Mencarelli. Cinematography is by Alfredo Betrò CCS, editing by Lorenzo Campera, production design by Marc’Antonio Brandolini and costumes by Fiorenza Cipollone. The music is composed by Giuliano Taviani and Carmelo Travia, while sound is by Frank Rousselle and Riccardo Gruppuso.
Fame d’aria continues the creative collaboration between Giuseppe Bonito and Alfredo Betrò, who previously worked together on the film L’Arminuta and the series Gerri and Mike.
Produced by Gabriella Buontempo and Massimo Martino for Clemart, with Rai Cinema, the film has a running time of 95 minutes. International sales are handled by TVCO.
‘Fame d’aria was undoubtedly the film with the most difficult subject matter I have ever had to confront: autism in its most tragic manifestation, the kind that leaves no hope and devastates families. The director, Giuseppe Bonito, and I discussed it at length, and we agreed that it called for an extremely realistic image, at times very stark, shaped more by shadow than by light.’ (Alfredo Betrò CCS)
