(2023, Italia, 120')
The cinematic adaptation of one of David Mamet’s latest theatrical texts, translated and brought to the Italian stage by Luca Barbareschi himself. A psychiatrist sees his private life and professional career shattered after refusing to testify in favor of a violent and unstable former patient who caused the death of several people in a school massacre. The young man’s belonging to the LGBTQA+ community and the doctor’s Jewish religious faith trigger an explosive chain reaction that is impossible to control, fueled by the harsh judgment of the law and the media’s thirst for news. The situation worsens due to a serious mistake made by a newspaper editor in reporting the news. Luca Barbareschi’s connection with the Venice Film Festival is significant; one might consider that his debut in cinema as an actor took place at the Lido in 1983 with Massimo Mazzucco’s Summertime. In 2019, he produced Roman Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy, which won the Silver Lion. His collaboration with Polanski led Barbareschi to be part of the cast of The Palace, presented this year out of competition by the Polish director.
Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1956, Luca Barbareschi is an Italian director, producer, and actor. He started acting in Chicago with Virginio Puecher, and debuted in film in 1983 with Summertime by Massimo Mazzucco, which passed at Venice then. The filmmaker went on to lead several films, like Dino Risi’s Teresa of 1987 and Luigi Magni’s In the Name of the Sovereign People of 1990. His directorial debut film, Ardena, is from 1997. In 2013, Barbareschi produced and directed Something Good. In 2019, he produced An Officer and a Spy, directed by Roman Polanski, which went on to earn the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
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