Due
It is March 2020. Only two weeks have passed since the beginning of the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the whole world, and Roberta, the main character, is already in a state of devastating psycho-physical prostration. This short film deals with gender violence, exploring the topic from an often neglected side, namely the psychological and economic side. Our protagonist, in fact, suddenly finds herself forced to live with her husband, a violent and manipulative man who locks her up in a claustrophobic world of harassment and blackmail, and the days - already monotonous and grey in themselves - become unbearable. In the course of the work we observe Roberta's life unfold in a repetitive and almost nauseating way. The short film opens with her lying in bed, caressing the chest of her husband (who throughout the film will never be framed in the face, as if to emphasise the presence of this omnipotent and threatening figure in Roberta's life - as in that of many other women in her condition). The news announces the new restrictive measures and we can already glimpse the terror in her eyes as she realises what awaits her. Roberta, in fact, is a woman who has lost her self-possession, living at the mercy of her partner's orders and desires. On the other side of the room, however, there is a figure sitting on a chair, watching them disapprovingly. It is Valentina, the part of Roberta that is not lost, that keeps her identity alive. And it is also the only foothold of salvation in the situation in which she finds herself. Valentina, in fact, is but a conscious version of Roberta herself, which is why only the protagonist sees her and can interact with her. Valentina through her biting observations represents the voice of reason, and is the vehicle through which the spectator is introduced into the complex relationship in which Roberta finds herself. The action of 'disturbance' operated by Valentina is however fundamental, because it serves to make Roberta go through that process of regaining awareness and autonomy, of independence from a sick relationship from which it seems impossible to escape. The last scene of the short film marks the end of this tortuous path towards freedom. Roberta frees herself from the chains of a toxic relationship that has kept her anchored inside her flat until that moment, and with the end of the lockdown coincides the liberation of our protagonist. Indeed, the two women, Roberta and Valentina, in the final scene find themselves free, on a beach, toasting the reconquest of themselves. 'To the two of us?' whispers a new, reborn Roberta. 'To you,' Valentina countered. The glasses meet as the two women's gazes. Roberta turns towards the sea, hypnotic and majestic, a symbol of her rediscovered identity. She watches her daughter play carefree on the shoreline, and when she turns to Valentina, she has vanished. Her duty has been accomplished, and Roberta is once again aware - and above all - free.
- Released
- 2023
Details
Release year: 2023
Storyline
It is March 2020. Only two weeks have passed since the beginning of the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic that has affected the whole world, and Roberta, the main character, is already in a state of devastating psycho-physical prostration. This short film deals with gender violence, exploring the topic from an often neglected side, namely the psychological and economic side. Our protagonist, in fact, suddenly finds herself forced to live with her husband, a violent and manipulative man who locks her up in a claustrophobic world of harassment and blackmail, and the days - already monotonous and grey in themselves - become unbearable. In the course of the work we observe Roberta's life unfold in a repetitive and almost nauseating way. The short film opens with her lying in bed, caressing the chest of her husband (who throughout the film will never be framed in the face, as if to emphasise the presence of this omnipotent and threatening figure in Roberta's life - as in that of many other women in her condition). The news announces the new restrictive measures and we can already glimpse the terror in her eyes as she realises what awaits her. Roberta, in fact, is a woman who has lost her self-possession, living at the mercy of her partner's orders and desires. On the other side of the room, however, there is a figure sitting on a chair, watching them disapprovingly. It is Valentina, the part of Roberta that is not lost, that keeps her identity alive. And it is also the only foothold of salvation in the situation in which she finds herself. Valentina, in fact, is but a conscious version of Roberta herself, which is why only the protagonist sees her and can interact with her. Valentina through her biting observations represents the voice of reason, and is the vehicle through which the spectator is introduced into the complex relationship in which Roberta finds herself. The action of 'disturbance' operated by Valentina is however fundamental, because it serves to make Roberta go through that process of regaining awareness and autonomy, of independence from a sick relationship from which it seems impossible to escape. The last scene of the short film marks the end of this tortuous path towards freedom. Roberta frees herself from the chains of a toxic relationship that has kept her anchored inside her flat until that moment, and with the end of the lockdown coincides the liberation of our protagonist. Indeed, the two women, Roberta and Valentina, in the final scene find themselves free, on a beach, toasting the reconquest of themselves. 'To the two of us?' whispers a new, reborn Roberta. 'To you,' Valentina countered. The glasses meet as the two women's gazes. Roberta turns towards the sea, hypnotic and majestic, a symbol of her rediscovered identity. She watches her daughter play carefree on the shoreline, and when she turns to Valentina, she has vanished. Her duty has been accomplished, and Roberta is once again aware - and above all - free.
Top credits
- Roberta Belforte — Psicologa
- Eugenio Gradabosco — Marco
- Alessia Olivetti — Alessia