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Today is my birthday, and I thought I’d share something about me with you, like Alessandra did back in July. I didn’t want to stray from the topic of cinema, because it represents my greatest passion. So, I decided to tell you about 4 movies that in this particular and difficult year have inspired me a lot, from a business and artistic point of view but not only…

“NOSTALGHIA” Andrej Tarkovskij

A 1983 film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and photographed by Giuseppe Lanci.
This film struck me with its messages that, especially in this turbulent year, have more to do with it than ever.
To quote the film:
“We have to fill our eyes and ears with things that are the beginning of a great dream…someone has to shout that we will build pyramids, no matter if we don’t build them later. We have to feed the desire.”
These words stuck in my mind, because now we need to stay alive inside and feed our desires with things that make us dream, looking for the positive in every situation.
Even on the technical side, the film did not leave me indifferent: characterized by long takes, slow movements and a desaturated photography, it somehow reflects the tormented soul of the protagonist who is looking for answers.

“THE TREE OF LIFE”  Terrence Malick

We have already talked about this film in the post dedicated to the use of the wide-angle lens in cinema. Today, however, I want to talk about it in a different way. In fact, this film struck me as immensely poetry. It is a delicate film that deals with giant themes such as life, family, love and nature. The film gravitates around the life of one of the children of a family, who is confronted with his mother and father, two parents with extremely different characters.
There are many scenes in which the subjects are isolated and filmed in wide shots, able to convey a reflective and intimate atmosphere. I feel very close to this movie, because I love the situations it recreates. I feel an affinity with the general mood, intimate solitary and very reflective, introverted. This movie is like a place that is dear to me, a place where I can stop, think and be inspired.

“MANK”  David Fincher

2020 film directed by David Fincher, for photography by Erik Messerschmidt tells a small part of the life of Herman J. Mankiewicz (played by Gary Oldman). The story is divided into two narrative arcs, the first in the 1930s and the second in 1940, the year Herman wrote the screenplay for Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane”. This film is about a Hollywood and an industry that is now gone, which is remembered through a film where an immense love for cinema clearly shines through. We see how the look of the image (for lighting, chiaroscuro, and framing) is very reminiscent of that of Citizen Kane, as if to enhance, remember and pay homage to this historic film.
I wanted to add Mank to this short list because watching it, I clearly perceived the affection that the people who worked on this film feel for this extraordinary world, the world of cinema, even though there are criticisms because it is not a perfect world.

“FAVOLACCE” Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo

Italian film written and directed by the D’innocenzo brothers, released in 2020.
I couldn’t help but end this article with Favolacce. I consider this movie really special, not only for the technical point of view, an original story and the masterful performances of its protagonists.
In fact, I’m telling you about this film also because of the back story of the two authors who created and produced it.
The two D’innocenzo brothers are a great source of inspiration for me, for us, because they embody the expression “they did it themselves”. They came up with the script for this story when they were really young, and after years of hard work and sacrifice, without ever giving up on their cinematic dream, they achieved their goal. Although I have never met them personally I feel great affection and respect for these two dreamers, and hope one day to be able to call them colleagues.

Thank you for reading this article!
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, a year in which we will leave loaded and eager to experience new adventures.

 

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