Known for Acting
"Marx can wait" was something Camillo Bellocchio said to his twin Marco the last time they met before the former died at a young age in the heated days of 1968. This documentary is dedicated to his memory.
Elena has just turned 18 and this is her first day working in a coffee bar in Bobbio, a town in the north of Italy. It's summer and the coffee bar is very busy. The first day at work is a chance for Elena to meet lots of different people. Each person has a different story to tell - not just in words but also through simple gestures and actions. These characters can sometimes be quite odd and reflect the countless nuances of the human soul.
In the Middle Ages, Federico, a soldier, visits the convent in Bobbio, where Sister Benedetta is facing charges of witchery for seducing Fabrizio, Federico’s twin brother, and making him betray his priestly mission. Federico hopes to secure his brother a burial on consecrated grounds. In modern times, Federico Mai, a Minister inspector, knocks on the doors of the very same convent, in order to broker a sale of the property to a Russian millionaire. Unbeknownst to him, a mysterious "Count" lives there.
The film, a nostalgic fantasy documentary, depicts in six episodes a family story in Bobbio between 1999 and 2008. We discover the 5 years-old Elena being brought up by her aunts (Marco Bellocchio's sisters) because her mother Sara is trying to succeed as an actress in Milan. Her uncle Giorgio has a difficult relationship with his sister and judges her for not taking care of her daughter. But as soon as Sara can afford it, she offers to take Elena with her, leaving the village and her aunts, perhaps for ever - while Giorgio, up to his eyeballs in debt, takes refuge in Bobbio. His sister will help him and sell a house.
An early version of Marco Bellocchio's Sorelle Mai
The 1978 kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, president of the most important political party in Italy at the time, Democrazia Cristiana, as seen from the perspective of one of his assailants -- a conflicted young woman in the ranks of the Red Brigade.
A celebrated painter receives a visit from a cardinal's assistant, who informs him that his mother could become a saint.
A young maestro conducts rehearsals with a male chorus. He is frustrated and feels that a female voice is missing.
A two year old girl, surprised and moved, watches her past materialize via amateur footage on the family TV set. She watches without regrets or nostalgia: it's normal. But it's her own story which began two years before. A short film by Marco Bellocchio.
