Italian Cineclub
A SHARP PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT THE INEVITABLE CRISIS OF THE CONTEMPORARY MALE
Who is Pietro, really? Is he truly an irreproachable professor, admired by his students and the author of a successful book? Or is there something hidden behind the facade of a respectable teacher and devoted family man—an unmentionable secret that an old flame knows well?
Elio Germano portrays Pietro with a stunted face and a taut, slouched body, embodying a man in crisis, haunted by the weight of his past. He demonstrates once again that he is one of the few heirs to the great interpreters of Italian cinema, following in the footsteps of actors like Gian Maria Volontè, Vittorio Gassmann, and Nino Manfredi, all of whom were skilled at creating unforgettable characters in service of the stories on screen.
Alongside Germano is a remarkable female cast, particularly the talented Federica Rosellini, who plays Teresa—a student Pietro encourages to study mathematics and later becomes his lover. Through a passionate, torrid love game, Teresa unwittingly becomes the keeper of Pietro’s most intimate secret.
The film, accompanied by an evocative soundtrack by Thom Yorke of Radiohead, premiered at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam.
FLAVIO AULINO