Three acclaimed Italian directors travel the country to interview its youth and in doing so present a barometer of the nation’s state.
Pietro Marcello (Marden Eden), Francesco Munzi (Black Souls), and Alice Rohrwacher’s (Happy as Lazzaro) documentary traverses the entire country, interviewing people from a variety of backgrounds, both urban and rural. The idea for the production began before the pandemic struck and what emerges is a portrait of a world in a state of radical change. But the issues many of the subjects interviewed in the film discuss were already prevalent before this latest calamity. It highlights their exasperation over preoccupations with a variety of topics, from nationalism, class, landscape, politics to the outsized spectre of immigration, when everyday problems are not being tackled, let alone resolved. And their concern at becoming a forgotten generation is palpable.
The three directors balance the testimonies of the many articulate interviewees – there’s even a commentary on how they have been misrepresented in the media – with portraits of the world they live in. And the contrast between the world before and during COVID is striking. But what this film ultimately emphasises is the need to listen and act on the concerns expressed.
