L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS "bromance?" It is definitely a fair way to define it. I was asked if it was more than a friendship. It is a topic that I wanted to k e e p o p e n , b e c a u s e w h a t matters to me is the message about being different, about having to hide; everyone has t h e i r o w n p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e , b u t t h e r e i s certainly a basic message of a c c e p t i n g y o u r s e l f a n d showing what you really are to the outside world. W h a t i s t h e m o s t important characteristic o f t h e m o v i e ' s protagonist? What we really wanted to show is that, often, different c o m m u n i t i e s f e a r o n e a n o t h e r b e c a u s e , q u i t e s i m p l y , t h e y d o n ' t k n o w each other. Luca is curious, a n d t h i s i s i m p o r t a n t , b e c a u s e h i s c u r i o s i t y p r o v i d e s a n s w e r s t o t h i s type of world. If we want to open up to the world and to others, we must be curious. I t i s c e r t a i n l y a positive message. Y e s , b u t a n o t h e r important aspect I want to emphasize in the film is how not everyone will accept you. You cannot seek and expect a p p r o v a l f r o m e v e r y o n e , b e c a u s e i t w i l l n e v e r h a p p e n . T h i s i s w h y f r i e n d s h i p a n d b e i n g s u r r o u n d e d b y t h e r i g h t people is fundamental: we m u s t l e a r n t o s u r r o u n d ourselves with people who recognize and appreciate us, who push us to do things we may not do on our own. Where did you get the i n s p i r a t i o n f o r t h e movie? P a r t o f t h e i n s p i r a t i o n came from Japan. I grew up i n t h e 1 9 8 0 s w i t h m a n y Japanese cartoons. Hayao Miyazaki is a legend for me, I met him and I showed him my short film and it was a b e a u t i f u l m o m e n t . H i s characters have a deep sense of wonder. As a director, he a l w a y s h a d t h e a b i l i t y t o create a child-like, simple and loving world for and with his characters. This has b e e n m y i n s p i r a t i o n , because I was interested in very similar characters. Just like when Luca comes out of the water for the first time and has this look of surprise a n d w o n d e r . I l i k e c h a r a c t e r s w h o d i s c o v e r simple things for the first time, like waves, the wind, espresso, old ladies… they m a k e u s u n d e r s t a n d w e must slow down and observe it all. What is the scene that moved you the most? T h e r e h a s b e e n m a n y . You see, scenes are often d o n e o v e r s e v e r a l t i m e s , until they are just perfect and fit seamlessly with one another. The difficult thing for a director is to keep this sense of unity – of fusion, really – throughout. And t h a t h a p p e n s o n l y w h e n emotions come along. There are passages in the movie we wanted to be almost like a blow to the heart, like when Luca finally finds himself and goes to save Alberto. A n d t h e n t h e e n d i n g , f o r s u r e : I r e a l l y g o t s h i v e r s there. You have worked as a s t o r y b o a r d a r t i s t f o r many years and this is your first feature film, how was the transition? M a k i n g a s h o r t w a s fundamental, but making a f e a t u r e f i l m h a s b e e n a totally story! A short is like a small poem, while a feature film is like writing a book. I t ' s a d i f f e r e n t t y p e o f experience, with different timelines. It is difficult, but it made me grow. It was like getting on a ship and sailing i n t h e s e a k n o w i n g o n l y storms were to come. After the storms, however, you recover and leave again, and t h a t i s a c r u c i a l m o m e n t because this is the way life works: you fall, and then get back on your feet. L u c a i s p a s s i o n a t e about planets, the moon a n d t h e s t a r s . B e s i d e V e s p a s , t h e s e a a n d p a s t a w i t h p e s t o , a r e s a t e l l i t e s a l s o a c h i l d h o o d p a s s i o n o f yours? Yes, absolutely. A little imaginative astronomy… As a child, I imagined placing S a t u r n - - a v e r y " l i g h t " p l a n e t ( b e c a u s e l a r g e l y m a d e o f h y d r o g e n a n d helium) -- in a tank large e n o u g h f o r i t s s i z e , a n d fantasized about how the planet would float in water. It was my way of expressing a n d e m b r a c i n g m y nerdiness. I wanted to bring a b i t o f l y r i c i s m , a b i t o f moon-inspired poetics to the m o v i e , a d i r e c t i o n I k e p t throughout. Luca's forays i n t o h i s i m a g i n a r y w o r l d a r e , i n m y o p i n i o n , beautiful. When he sees, for example, anchovies instead of stars and calls them star- ciovis, stell-acciughe. It's nice to create and it's nice to be inspired by astronomy, b e c a u s e t h e r e i s a l w a y s something mysterious and something we don't know in it. Like the sea you love, today you are wearing a blue t-shirt, is it your favorite color? Yes, it is a color that goes w e l l w i t h e v e r y t h i n g , especially when worn close to the heart. Continued from page 4 Casarosa with producer Andrea Warren (Photo: Virginia Bettoja) "Luca is a tribute to Italy, its atmospheres and scents, in particular to those of the Italian Riviera where Casarosa used to spend his summers as a child" The Ligurian world of Luca is very much reminiscent of Cinque Terre (Photo: Virginia Bettoja)

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