13/08/2024 - Italian director Sara Fgaier’s debut is a haunting, poetic and emotional film about love, memory and death

A simple premise forms the basis of a story bursting with poetry and feeling: sixty-something university professor, Gian (Andrea Renzi), seems to have temporarily lost his memory following the demise of his life partner. In order to help him, his daughter Miriam (Sara Serraiocco) decides to give him a diary which he wrote forty or so years earlier. At the time, Gian was in the throes of youth and, over the course of one night, he discovered love with Leila, a charming Tunisian aviator. Little by little, Gian tries to reconnect with his memory, losing himself amidst an ocean of recollections and continually rediscovering himself.

Gian’s introspective journey forms the focus of Italian director Sara Fgaier’s debut film, Weightless [+see also:
trailer
interview: Sara Fgaier
film profile], which was presented in a world premiere in the International Competition of this year’s Locarno Film Festival. Written by the director in league with Sabrina Cusano and Maurizio Buquicchio, the story is divided into three main strands: the present day, where Gian is struggling to remember and clashing with Miriam; the memories of his youth (often revisited from different viewpoints and shot on occasionally toned or scratched film) and, lastly; a more ideal and conceptual dimension (close to essay cinema, in certain respects) which acts as a bridge between the past and the present by way of archive footage which is external to the story but capable of stimulating mental associations, reviving memories of the events mentioned in the diary, or adding layers of meaning to Gian’s words.

Striking the right balance between lyricism and the concrete is an arduous task in a story such as this. Luckily, on this occasion the director balances both elements with ease, availing herself of an excellent technical crew who ensure every single artistic component stands out and moves us without ever taking over. In this sense, mention must be made of Carlo Crivelli’s moving soundtrack with Morricone-esque undertones, Alberto Fasulo’s versatile photography, Adriano Alampi and Riccardo Spagnol’s meticulous sound work, and the audacious and sensitive editing approach of Aline Hervé, Enrica Gatto and the director herself.

Overall, all of the acting performances are measured, but Renzi carries most of the film on his shoulders, treating us to a sober and sincere performance. His silences, hesitations, uncertain movements, and lyrical and laconic language come together to paint the portrait of a character we can’t help but care about. The actors playing young Leila (Lise Lomi) and young Gian (Emilio Scarpa) also make their mark, working incredibly hard on their expressions and non-verbal language.

In short, Weightless is a memorable debut, capable of bringing a healthy dose of novelty and freshness to Italian arthouse cinema. Sophisticated but not overly cerebral, it maintains focus on the universal themes of death and memory, and places emphasis on one particularly weighty question: what exactly are we if we can no longer remember the love of our life?

Weightless is produced by Limen, Avventurosa, Dugong Films and RAI Cinema. Rai Cinema International Distribution are managing international sales.

(Translated from Italian)