27/06/2024 - As it screens as part of EFP’s Future Frames at Karlovy Vary, we talk to the Italian director about her film, which explores the limits of faith

The Love Servant by Emanuela Muzzupappa, a graduate in Directing from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, is a beautiful and contemplative short film set in a small Italian town. When Pinuccia is saved after her mother prays to Saint Rita, the little girl dresses up as the saint, and the town soon believes that Rita’s power has been transferred to Pinuccia. But while the newfound fame at first excites Pinuccia, she soon discovers the responsibility that she now has might be too much to bear.

As the film prepares to screen as part of EFP’s Future Frames – part of the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary IFF (see the news) – Cineuropa caught up with Muzzupappa to find out more about the film.

Cineuropa: Where did the idea for The Love Servant first originate?
Emanuela Muzzupappa: The inspiration for this short comes from a true story that my grandmother has always told me since I was a child. In fact, in 1948, when she was only 11 years old, she miraculously woke up from a coma after her mother asked Saint Rita for forgiveness.

It is a very important story for me, and I guard it with care. Regardless of the religious beliefs of each of us, it was important for me to tell a story of growth made up of obstacles and responsibilities to overcome.

Could you tell us more about the filming location? The place you chose seems timeless.
The search for locations was fundamental, as was having the opportunity to shoot in Calabria. There, time really stopped: in every place, past and present live together in a harmonious way but also sometimes seem to be colliding, and this is the true charm of my land.

There’s a sense of the dreamlike in the film. How important was it for you to achieve this feeling, which seems to reflect not only the haziness of childhood, but also the boundaries between belief and reality?
This was the best way for me to depict that fine line between childhood and growth, reality and fiction, but above all, between what is sacred and what is profane. Spirituality can take different forms depending on who is watching; it was important for me to be able to communicate to everyone without forcing the viewer to adopt my own gaze.

How did you go about casting your young lead? Did it take you long to find the person you were looking for?
The search for the protagonist was long and complex, but it was definitely a beautiful journey. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people, but like relationships, when you meet the right person, you immediately realise, and this is what happened with Marica, who understood the story right away as well as what I wanted to narrate through the character of Pinuccia.

Tell us about your hopes and expectations for Karlovy Vary.
I am grateful to be able to participate in a prestigious festival like Karlovy Vary, where I hope to be able to meet people from whom I can learn new perspectives on life, and encounter colleagues from whom I can learn about other visions and ways of telling my own stories.

What projects do you have coming up in the future?
My project for the future now is writing my feature film. I already have two stories in the pipeline, and even if they are at two different stages of processing, I can’t wait to have the opportunity to tell them.