An Italian film, whose cast features Monica Bellucci and whose list of producers includes Luca Guadagnino, took the spotlight at the79th editionof theLocarno Film Festivalon Saturday. Its title: Ketticè.
The coming-of-age drama is the sophomore feature of former Guadagnino assistant Giovanni Tortorici (Diciannove), who wrote and directed it, and stars Salvatore Gallina and Rachele Testagrossa.
Set in Palermo, Sicily, in 2012, the era of media mogul-turned-populist politician Silvio Berlusconi, the movie revolves around Giulio, a listless and dissatisfied 16-year-old who drifts through his days without any enthusiasm for school and no real future prospects. “His encounter with Ketty, a more self-assured peer, offers him an escape from the monotony,” reads a synopsis. “The two form an exclusive friendship, a shared refuge in their search for freedom, far from the judgmental gaze of the adult world.”
With cinematography by Camilla Cattabriga and editing by Marco Costa, the film has been boarded by PiperPlay to handle international sales.
The film’s title refers to Ketty’s nickname in the Sicilian dialect. Bellucci plays Giulio’s mother in an aristocratic Sicilian family that leaves her feeling oppressed.
During a press conference with the three stars and Tortorici, Bellucci shared about her character: “It was interesting to play a different role because this wife and mother tells us about the frustration behind the entire perfection of society. … She is the victim of a social role [she must play]. So she tries to counterbalance this frustration by eating up snacks. There [is a] scene where she’s sleeping in front of the TV, and she has plenty of snacks.”
She loved acting scenes, which she called “tragicomic,” such as “getting on the set with pajamas and flip-flops.” And Bellucci added: “She’s hysterical, but she doesn’t scare anyone because we know that she will never have the courage to leave.”
The star also addressed how body and voice are key to her role. “This is a woman who forgot about her femininity. She doesn’t take care of herself,” Bellucci explained. “And when she talks, she yells.”
That keeps the relationship with her son on the edge throughout much of the movie. “She creates this constant tension with her son,” Bellucci offered. “There is a mutual humiliation that [shows] a true impossibility of exchange between generations. You see a generation of adults who can no longer understand the youth. And we are talking about 2012. Imagine how it is now!”
Tortorici was asked about a scene in which a girl expresses admiration for former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. “I remember I had a girlfriend who would say such things,” the writer-director explained. “So I think this would represent a youth culture, which is a bit absurd. I mean, the girl I knew was refined and educated, and then she would admire Mussolini. It’s a reference to my own biography, but I think it was very symptomatic and significant, and it was representing that age of Berlusconi.”
Bellucci lauded the director and the young stars of Ketticè who were discovery via an extensive street casting process. “It’s been a wonderful experience being on this set,” she shared. “Giovanni Tortorici is a young director who knows exactly what he wants, and he’s very self-confident, determined, and he made a very personal and really unique film. … This film confirms his talent as an auteur. And these two teenagers are fantastic. They’re awesome. They are so natural and so spontaneous.”