Smutniak in Del Monte’s “hands”
Of the few Italian filmmakers to consistently delve into the feminine universe, Peter Del Monte has once again reaffirmed his calling. His latest film, In Your Hands, centres on Mavi, a young, unstable woman who “disrupts the lives of all those closest to her. Yet although she seems like a destructive person, she is full of a contagious life force”.
In the film, Polish actress Kasia Smutniak, who has been adopted by Italian cinema and recently appeared in Quiet Chaos [+see also:
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film profile], takes on her first leading role. “She’s a difficult character, says Smutniak. “She lives in the present like a wild animal that follows only its instinct. I prepared extensively for the role but once on the set I decided to trust the director fully”.
Marco Foschi, who plays her astrophysicist husband Teo, says his character is “understanding, sweet, who despite his being a scientist is attracted to mystery, and thus to Mavi’s irrationality”.
Del Monte explains by citing Sean Penn’s latest film: “[Teo’s] contact with Mavi is a journey into the wild. Although he doesn’t reach Alaska, he discovers the unknown lands of love. Chaos overwhelms his life”.
The theme of the unknown upsetting people’s lives is nothing new to the director of Traveling Companion. “Ever since Irene, Irene,” he says, “I’ve often depicted characters who are seemingly stable and sure of themselves, and who are thrown off balance when they come into contact with the unexpected”. Which in his films often takes on the form of a woman: “Women are a mix of the light and the dark, even maternity can hide a latent shadow zone”.
Although made by a director with over 30 years of filmmaking to his name, and an award winner at festivals worldwide, In Your Hands was not deemed to be of “national cultural interest” in order to receive public funding from the Ministry of Culture. It was produced by Roberto and Matteo Levi’s 11 Marzo Film, with Blue Film and Coca Color, on a budget of €700,000.
Presented in a world premiere at the latest Turin Film Festival, it is being released on March 14 by Teodora on 30 screens.
(Translated from Italian)
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