11/09/2023 - VENICE 2023: Already behind Roman Polański’s The Palace, the Italian producer turns director with a film based on a David Mamet play

Based on David Mamet’s play, The Penitent - A Rational Man [+see also:
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interview: Luca Barbareschi
film profile] – shown Out of Competition at Venice – sees a psychiatrist find himself slap bang in the middle of a media storm after his patient becomes a killer. He knows perfectly well that whatever he says – or doesn’t say – might be used against him. Director Luca Barbareschi spills the beans on his new movie.

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Cineuropa: Many people dream of playing with Mamet’s words, but it’s not easy. These stories are intimate and dialogue-heavy.
Luca Barbareschi: I have been translating his works for over 40 years – books, plays... I know David, and I know all the traps. He is a total genius. It’s like with Mozart: there are no corrections. But it’s a script of 100 pages and another 100 pages of what’s left unsaid. It makes his work interesting for actors because they have space to show their emotions.
That’s what you get:
- “What?”
Half a pause. Dot, dot, dot.
- “Yes?”
Dot, dot, dot.
- “Then fuck you and give me some coffee!”

If you are a good actor, you understand why those pauses are there. Once you learn this, it’s like unearthing gold. Mamet is like Chekhov: you discover something new every time.

There is certainly space for two actors to just talk to each other. There are no distractions.
It could be my life or the life of this character – I went through the same character assassination, the same horror. It was a good opportunity to finally talk about this whole craziness, because we are mad! Europe is killing itself. When it comes to “cancel culture”, I read things that don’t make any sense.

You talk about it a lot, also when it comes to the directors whose films you have produced. You continue working with them.
I have also been attacked and wondered: “Is this for real?” It’s like what happened before Woody Allen’s premiere. I am not surprised that some idiots screamed at him. I am surprised that Corriere della Sera described it as some kind of revolution. If these journalists want to be priests of communication, they have to be serious. If they want to be rock’n’roll, then later on, don’t complain that people don’t read you any more. Woody Allen has never been charged, so who are these people? Introduce yourselves. Take responsibility, instead of hiding behind some “wolf69” nickname. If James Joyce or Dante Alighieri were the ones screaming, then maybe I would listen. But no.

You said, “Europe is killing itself,” but it’s a worldwide shift. It cannot be stopped.
“Cancel culture” loves these repressed societies. They don’t buy Polański’s movies, don’t want to produce them, but they will still watch them. Talk about double standards. The fact that his last one wasn’t even financed by France is an insult. What’s the difference between the Polański of An Officer and a Spy [+see also:
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film profile] and the Polański of The Palace [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]?

It’s not changing, because many think it’s a revolution. But it’s magical thinking, and Europe was based on logic, not on some gossip. I want to be challenged by someone with a PhD – otherwise, just bang me on the head. They say you have no right to live. Yesterday, at a party, a woman came up to me and said she didn’t like me.

Was it because of your collaborations with Polański or something else?
It was because of Polański and Mamet. It was because I exist. It’s dangerous because I think we are heading towards a suicidal Europe.

You shot the film in English, so I guess you were thinking outside of Europe?
I love New York and liked the idea of being there. There is all this loneliness and aggressive press. Once they name you, you are dead [mimics shooting]. Then they move onto something else, but the headlines remain. Here, we are becoming a bit American, too, although we don’t share their violence just yet. I am waiting for someone to wake up and say: “We have a problem. It’s the guns.” But no, it’s better to call the killer a victim of society and look for another scapegoat. In America, they all refuse pain; they keep taking these pills, but you need pain to grow. I want blood. Fuck them.

Who is “them,” exactly?
Fuck them all! I don’t care. There are many others who are fed up with this bullshit. I direct, I act, I produce, I take responsibility. This is my statement. I don’t want my kids to be afraid, even though antisemitism is back, big time. Who would have thought? It’s dangerous in Paris now. In Paris! I know that Voltaire was antisemitic, but still. We have to go back to art, to culture, to education; we have to teach kids how to formulate thoughts. The guys who invented TikTok and Facebook? They should be arrested. Last night I was dancing, I took off my shirt and saw all these people getting their phones out. I asked: “Are you drug addicts? Dance, kiss, fuck. Is the selfie your new god?” We have to talk instead of being afraid. If you are scared, you can be controlled.