
Claudia Pandolfi
Filmography
A tour guide and a failed actress accompany four inmates to the Pollino massif, in search of the centuries-old Bosnian pine, a symbol of resilience. The journey quickly becomes a journey of transformation, filled with encounters and changes, punctuated by a music that takes shape step by step, becoming a collective voice capable of bringing together diverse bodies, emotions, and stories. In a harsh yet beautiful landscape, punctuated by unexpected solidarity, fragments of complex lives emerge, along with open wounds and a profound need to be seen and heard. Talking, singing, and naming what has been experienced becomes a way to release tensions and rediscover a sense of belonging, at least until a sudden event calls everything into question. Because, sometimes, sharing one's story is already a first step toward something bigger.
On 20 November 2012, 15-year-old Andrea Spezzacatena took his own life. It was the first case in Italy of bullying and cyberbullying that led to a minor's suicide. The triggering incident was his choice to wear a pair of red trousers, a gift from his mother, which turned pink due to a washing mishap.
In Rome it hasn’t rained for three years and the lack of water is overturning rules and habits. Through the city dying of thirst and prohibitions moves a chorus of people, young and old, marginalised and successful, victims and profiteers. Their lives are linked in a single design, while each seeks his or her deliverance.
The film tells the story of the Michelucci family, from the nineteen-seventies to the present day: the central character is the stunningly beautiful Anna, the lively, frivolous and sometimes embarrassing mother of Bruno and Valeria. Everything begins in the Summer of 1971, at the annual Summer beauty pageant held at Livorno’s most popular bathing establishment. Anna is unexpectedly crowned “Most Beautiful Mother”, unwittingly stirring the violent jealousy of her husband. From then on, chaos strikes the family and for Anna, Bruno and his sister Valeria, it is the start of an adventure that will only end thirty years later.







