23/06/2010

The Umbrian countryside replaces Wonderland and the Alice in question has little to do with Tim Burton’s 3D success, the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter in Oreste Crisostomi’s debut film Alice [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. In the story, an inexperienced young woman (Camilla Ferranti) falls for the best-looking co-worker in her office (Giulio Pampiglione). “He’s my dream”, she tells the florist who dispenses emotional advice (Catherine Spaak). “No, he’s a man,” replies the latter, implying that they’re not one and the same. But the naïve and insecure Alice won’t realize this until a business meal she mistakenly takes for a dinner date.

Which isn’t entirely bad, because preparations for the date (her clothes are picked out by her gay best friend, an entertaining Massimiliano Varrese) will nevertheless have an effect on Alice’s life. A new look and a bit of new attitude help her see an awkward but sincere suitor (Antonio Ianniello) in a new light.

The colourful fairy tale by the young Crisostomi, a theatre director until now, is a “surreal coming-of-age story, in which the characters are all ‘victims’ of small daily spells”. The over-the-top tone is that of a “deliberately implausible fairy tale”, which includes talking crickets (the florist) and an equally odd family (complete with a despotic mother and “desperate househusband” father addicted to vacuuming).

Here and there emerge important themes (work) and even serious ones (abortion). But these are just moments – tangents that are a bit jarring at times – in a work that recalls Aki Kaurismaki “and his humour on lack of communication”, even paying homage to Lights in the Dusk [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The grand inspirations include “the paintings of Edward Hopper and photography of Gregory Crewdson”, adds Crisostomi, who worked for a long time with DoP Antonello Emidi, costume designer Costanza Bastanti and production designer Marcello Di Carlo on the film’s aesthetic, and particularly chromatic, design.

Produced by Videodrome Visual Productions for €950,000 (of which €600,000 came from the Ministry of Culture), Alice will be released June 25 by Medusa Film on approximately 50 screens.

(Translated from Italian)