Riccardo Scamarcio (The Shadow of the Day IFF22, Three Floors IFF21), Isabelle Huppert and Louis Garrel star in writer/director Michele Placido's (Crime Novel) fourteenth feature, an eagerly anticipated new historical drama depicting the struggles of the notorious Renaissance painter as he's investigated by the Vatican.
Italy 1610. Michelangelo Merisi (Scarmarcio), better known as Caravaggio, is one of the brilliant painters of his time and a rebel who ignores Catholic Church rulings that dictate how religious subjects are to be represented. Having been informed that he depicts prostitutes, thieves and vagabonds in his work, Pope Paul V orders the Vatican secret service to investigate. They must decide whether to grant clemency to Caravaggio who has petitioned his death sentence for the murder of a love rival.
While Caravaggio seeks refuge in Naples under the protection of the powerful Marquise Costanza Colonna (Huppert), the investigator (Garrel), known as The Shadow, begins the inquiry that will lead him to discover the conflicting vices and virtues of the artist whose life, or death, lies in his hands.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – Rome Film Festival 2022
WINNER – Best Hair Design/Styling, David of the Youth, David di Donatello Awards 2023
WINNER (x4) – Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Special Nastro (Michele Placido), Nastri D’Argento Awards 2023
"This visceral epic glows like one of the painter’s original masterpieces."
- FilmUforia
Tuesday 19th September
118 min
MA15+
Isabelle Huppert, Micaela Ramazzotti, Louis Garrel, Riccardo Scamarcio, Vinicio Marchioni
Michele Placido
Historical Drama
Italian with English subtitles
Palace Raine Square
