Violence has deep roots. And rampant consequences that creep into the minds of those who are protagonists. Of the executioner. Of the victim. Marking them indelibly.
Luigi is twenty years old, lives with his mother, Licia, a brother, Alessandro, and the shadow of Franco, his father. The suffocating shadow of a father who with his acts of violence and arrogance ruined the childhood of his children and the youth of his partner. Luigi frequents a far-right group in which anger, violence and abuse continue to be a constant presence. One day, Franco returns home to find his children and wife, but his demons have not abandoned him…
“Familia” is an intense story, with the rhythms of a thriller, the dark touches of noir, the current affairs of social. Which involves the viewer right into the events. In atmospheres full of anxiety. Suspenseful. The film directed by Francesco Costabile from Cosenza is based on a true story and inspired by the book “It won’t always be like this” written by one of the protagonists of the dramatic events narrated, Luigi Celeste. On Monday evening, it was presented at the Citrigno cinema in Cosenza, with the director himself, the actor Francesco Di Leva (Franco) and the director of distribution of Medusa Film, Paolo Orlando, who spoke in enthusiastic terms of Costabile, “a director of great caliber and which we will soon hear about at an international level”.
At the end of the screening, we met Francesco Costabile to chat about his film which, in addition to Di Leva, also includes Barbara Ronchi and Francesco Gheghi, who was awarded for “Familia” at the latest Venice International Film Festival as best male actor in the Orizzonti section.
I think that certain films also have a strong social weight. And which could touch sensitive chords in the souls of those who experience situations of violence…
«Yes, this film allows us to enter into violence and all those mechanisms of manipulation that are experienced in family contexts when there is a verticality, a man or a father who uses his children and his partner following a strategy of manipulation . And cinema lets us, thanks to art, observe. “Familia” stands at a certain distance. Observe without judging. And this allows us to read, identify the signals that we can then find in our lives. Because gender violence, patriarchal violence is something inherent to our social fabric, to our culture and therefore I hope that spectators can do a self-analysis, self-awareness, and realize some even unconscious mechanisms that can lead to extreme consequences ».
The sensitivity of someone who has actually experienced the facts and that of someone who has to build a story for the big screen that works… How did it go with Luigi Celeste?
«He is the first person I met after reading the book. He was a constant presence throughout the film. Among other things, I come from documentaries so for me having a comparison with reality, in this case with the victims of history, was a source of inspiration and enrichment. This doesn’t mean you can always be true to the facts. These can also be transfigured, without betraying the essence of the film, however, and with profound respect for the experiences of the people actually involved.”
The contamination of genres present in “Familia” is one of the most interesting peculiarities…
«Yes, I love film genres very much, because in some way they allow me to get closer to the public, use codes that are also narrative archetypes and therefore make the film universal. “Familia” speaks not only to the public in Italy, but also to the public all over the world, so much so that it has been sold in several countries. And then I believe that fiction is an essential tool for interpreting and reading reality. Because we can go deep, beyond the surface of reality.”
“Familia”… can you tell us the origin of this title?
«I decided on this title because it somehow recalls the origins of patriarchy. The Latin ending familia recalls that contract, the contract of the pater familias which sanctioned a right of ownership. Property rights also towards your children and your partner. And this represents the origin of patriarchal culture, of a common enemy that we must fight together. Both men and women.”
After the screening, we also chatted with Francesco Di Leva who in “Familia” plays Franco, a violent father and partner.
Tell us how “your” Franco was born.
«It’s a story from 30 years ago. I viewed and studied photos, documents, procedural documents. From this basis I built my character. And then I entrusted myself to the sensitivity of Francesco Costabile. We tried to give the viewer a Franco who occasionally also asked for help from himself and his family. Although, for obvious reasons, that tapeworm inside him takes over, sowing devastation, terror and tragedy within the family.”
When inspired by true events, do “strong” screenplays have a different weight?
«Absolutely yes. You pick up a script, you get into the writing, you see the lights, you see that everything is fake. And then in reality the real heartbreak is when you meet the eyes of Luigi and Alessandro, the real protagonists, who come to Venice to see that film, together with Alessandro’s son and his wife. And when you meet those eyes you realize that you are a lucky man if you live in a family where they taught you to be a happy little boy. To have the protection of a father.”
Often, great insecurities are hidden behind acts of violence. Can the same be said for Franco?
«Franco is certainly an insecure man, an emotional manipulator, he is not just a violent man and that’s it. He is someone who constructs violence psychologically. And it is truly pathological for affective manipulators to be insecure. Due to their insecurity, they try to victimize and make others guilty of certain attitudes, their wife, their children.”