11/10/2011

"It is not a film against television, but against the wrong messages that it can transmit to younger people." As these words are spoken by someone who has built her career on TV content of a not particularly tasteful level, they may seem paradoxical. And yet, Italian showgirl Valeria Marini [photo], who has taken part in Isola dei famosi (Celebrity Island), as a producer offers a defence: "I did light television, for the people. Violence is another thing."

And it is exactly the theme of violence on the small screen that I Want To Be a Soldier [+see also:
trailer
film profile] focuses on; it is a film that without doubt will lead to much reflection and discussion, directed by Spain's Christian Molina [photo] (Valérie Diario de una Ninfómana [+see also:
trailer
film profile] , Estación de olvidado), produced by Catalonia's Canónigo Films and co-produced by Marini (who in the film has a small part as a teacher) Stars Pictures.

Winner of the Marc'Aurelio Alice nella Città Award at the Rome Film Festival 2010, I Want To Be a Soldier arrives in 30 Italian cinemas on October 14, distributed by Iris Film, but risks being banned for under-14s. "We are fighting against the ban because it is important that everyone can see this film," said distributor Christian Lelli "and because we would also like to bring its educational message to schools."

The story of a ten-year-old boy who is fascinated by the violence he sees on television and in video games, the film is studded with very strong images of war and devastation, mutilated bodies and blood that are culled from newspapers, documentaries, even cartoons, which are "all shown pre-watershed or taken from internet sites that anyone can access," as director Christian Molina pointed out.

But I Want To Be a Soldier, which depicts the consequences of this media bombardment on the psychology of a boy who ends up duplicating the violence against animals, school friends and even his own brothers, is also meeant to be a wake-up call for parents who don't keep an eye on their children. No coincidence, then, that the film has enjoyed the patronage of the Moige (Italian Parent's Movement), which is always on the frontline against Italian TV's excesses, along with UNICEF. An important subject, therefore, for a film which features an international cast (among which the very young Fergus Riordan, Belgian actress Jo Kelly and Afro-American star Danny Glover), and which will also be released in Spain on October 19, without a ban.

(Translated from Italian)