Screening direct from Venice competition, the powerful new drama from Gianni Amelio (Hammamet IFF20, Open Doors) recounts the controversial trial of Aldo Braibanti, an intellectual whose relationship with a younger student caused a nationwide scandal.
Rome, 1968. Soft-spoken playwright Braibanti (Luigi Lo Cascio, The Ties IFF21) is arrested on charges of ‘plagiarism’; that he subjugated another person and led them morally astray. The charges – resting on a rarely cited Fascist-era law - are brought by the family of his partner Ettore (newcomer Leonardo Maltese) who, seeking to extract the younger man from Braibanti’s influence, commits him to a psychiatric hospital.
Braibanti elects to run his own defence, one where the very essence of his life is scrutinised: art, science, philosphy and sexuality. Meanwhile, the case receives national attention through the efforts of a local journalist (Elio Germano, Hidden Away IFF 21) whose empathetic reporting stokes community suspicion and the ire of his editor.
Elegantly mounted and superbly performed, Amelio’s impassioned film is a deeply affecting reminder of the conflicts that simmer just below the surface of ‘civilised’ society, as much now as ever.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Venice International Film Festival 2022 (In Competition)
Tuesday 13th September
133 min
M
Sara Serraiocco, Elio Germano, Luigi Lo Cascio, Leonardo Maltese
Gianni Amelio
Film Festival
Italian with English subtitles
Palace Raine Square