Cinema Italia: "Eine Mutter" ("Una madre")

Cinema Italia! - the film selection in this week of Italian film presents Italy's artistically committed, contemporary filmmaking.

A MOTHER - UNA MADRE

ITA 2024. dir: Stefano Chiantini. D: Aurora Giovinazzo, Micaela Ramazzotti, Angela Finocchiaro, Francesco Salvi, Leonardo Donati. 82 min. ItalOmdtU. FSK: n. A.

Deva always sits at the back of the bus that takes her home - to a miserable little caravan where she lives with her freaked-out mother Giovanna. Her face, hidden in the collar of her jacket, shows an unnatural hardness for a young girl of her age. After a traumatic experience, Deva leads her life with this toughness, without allowing herself a moment's rest or relaxation. Then she meets 60-year-old Carla and starts working in her fish store. And there she meets Carla's one-year-old grandson, whom she occasionally has to look after. Against her will, Deva finally develops an affection for the little boy. Something begins to change.
A warm-hearted and touching film in the spirit of neorealism about a young woman who slowly finds her way back into life. The young Aurora Giovinazzo as Deva is a real discovery.

The director about his movie:
'I believe that women have a greater responsibility, including the responsibility of being a mother. Certainly, even today, being a mother can bring many difficulties, and a woman in this situation can find herself in a material position of emotional weakness and vulnerability for various reasons. UNA MADRE is about this, about one young woman among many who takes on the role of mother at a particular moment in her life. It is a cinematic investigation that involves the soul and emotions of the protagonists and, through a simple and sober narrative style, attempts to analyze the psychological dynamics and uncover inner turmoil. In this respect, I feel close to the cinema of Ken Loach. I am fascinated by the sober and rhetoric-free way in which he tells of society and especially of those who live on its margins.
Stefano Chiantini