ITALY

GIORNI FELICI

2023 – DCP – color – 88’

Direction: Simone Petralia

Screenplay: Simone Petralia

Cinematography: Thomas Toti

Editing: Giuliana Sarli

Set design: Giulia Attardi

originale Original music: Ginevra Nervi

Costumes: Grazia Materia, Ilaria Capanna

Cast: Franco Nero (Antonio), Anna Galiena (Margherita), Marco Rossetti (Enea), Antonella Ponziani (Michela), Marcello Mazzarella (Ramiro), Bianca Nappi (Caterina), Maria de Medeiros (Serena), Alessandro Cannavà (young Antonio), Gelsomina Pascucci (young Margherita), Maria Teresa Borela Baluyot (Joy), Chauncey Alan (Steven), Maxence Dinant (Andy), Mattia Mor (doctor)

Producers: Giampietro Preziosa, Marco S. Puccioni

Production: Inthelfilmin collaboration with Rai Cinema

Distribution: Inthelfilm

synopsis

Margherita is an internationally renowned actress with a successful career and many awards to her credit. She lives in an apartment in Rome, which is rich with memories and often frequented by her agent Michela, a few friends and her son Enea, an unhappy musician. Before long, she will be busy shooting a film directed by a young American director in Los Angeles. Yet suddenly, she is stricken with physical problems and tests reveal a severe form of sclerosis, ALS. Antonio, a dissatisfied director, her former partner and Enea’s father arrives to assist her. Due to her illness, Margherita must give up the film and soon finds herself confined to immobility. Antonio and Margherita, separated for many years, rebuild their relationship in the midst of suffering and together will write the grand finale of their lives.

the director: Simone Petralia

Born in 1988 in the province of Messina, after graduating from high school, he moved to Rome where he earned a degree in cinematography. He then graduated in acting and directing at Cinecittà. As assistant director to Pupi Avati for the TV drama Un matrimonio, he wrote and shot the short film on the theme of ALS L’ultimo cielo, with the namesake score composed by Max Gazzè. In 2012 he presented the short film Solo un bacio in competition at the Giffoni Film Festival. This was followed by Buongiorno Viola (2013) and Emmanuel (2014), which won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Social World FF. At the same festival, he presented his debut feature Cenere, which received the Best Actor award. In 2022 he wrote and directed the film Giorni felici, starring Franco Nero, Anna Galiena, Maria de Medeiros and Marco Rossetti, produced by Inthelfilm.

director’s statement

“This is the story of endurance between two people. Accompanying the viewer along an arduous journey that leads the protagonists to a very extreme and desperate decision—a film dwells on the sorrows and hardships of illness. It proceeds with scenes that attempt neither to sugarcoat nor to avert the gaze: it is humiliating to grow old and be reduced to a handful of biological functions, torn from the realms of one’s intellect and sucked into a sordid routine of IVs and wheelchairs. 

What remains are the gestures and expressions on the faces of the two protagonists, tested by the burden of responsibilities, as well as Antonio’s weary and disheartened wandering around the house. A home that was once elegant and welcoming is reduced to immense emptiness.

The house is now a shell that holds them both captive within their suffering. Close-ups on their suffering faces are contrasted with the exterior scenes, which recount their past when they were young and happy with their whole lives ahead of them.”

filmography

2011 L’ultimo cielo (short)

2012 Solo un bacio (short)

2013 Buongiorno Viola (short)

2014 Emmanuel (short)

2015 Cenere

2023 Giorni felici

world premiere