Shooting has just wrapped on Anna Foglietta’s first experience behind the cameras, A Common Story. The Roman actress’s first feature as a director (having previously won the Nastro d’Argento - among other plaudits - for her role in If Life Gives You Lemons, and seen in Perfect Strangers and, more recently, in Storia di una notte) is presented as an intimate and deeply human tale exploring emotional transitions which redefine family bonds and disturb the equilibrium of a couple’s life.

The cast is led by Alba Rohrwacher (awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actress via Hungry Hearts and the David di Donatello for Best Actress for Il papà di Giovanna in 2009, in addition to four further nominations for this trophy, with Jay Kelly and Three Goodbyes featuring among her most recent movies) and Guido Caprino (awarded the Big Series Nastro d’Argento for Best Supporting Actor thanks to The Art of Joy), with support from Elio De Capitani (Cento domeniche, The Caiman) and Caterina Casini.

The screenplay was written by Foglietta together with Tania Pedroni (Hidden Away, The Man Who Will Come) and Matteo Ferri. It follows Erika and Mauro who live in a small town, leading a simple life composed of reassuring routines. When their daughter Irene leaves to study far from home, the house feels empty and the balance on which the couple have built their lives seems to falter. Erika, whose existence has always been about caring for others, suddenly finds herself without direction. Mauro, who was raised under the emotional restraint of an authoritarian father, tries to react in his own way by filling the void, but ends up contending with a fragility he’d never admitted to. In the suspended time that follows, old wounds re-open and forgotten desires reawaken. This intimate and profound crisis drives them to take a good look at one another to understand whether and how they can change and, in so doing, transform their love.

“Making the film I wanted to make already feels like a victory to me,” Anna Foglietta enthuses. “My story is contained within this work - not in an autobiographical or purely artistic sense, but on a deeper level, relating to my outlook on the world. Directing came along when only playing one role was no longer enough for me: I felt the need to embrace the entire universe of the film, to be the houses and the characters, the costumes and the make-up, and to imprint myself on every detail.”

The film’s cinematography is by Andrea Benjamin Manenti, production design is by Roberto De Angelis and costumes are by Mariano Tufano. Editing comes courtesy of Riccardo Giannetti while music composition falls to Rodrigo D'Erasmo.

A Common Story is produced by Viola Prestieri and Valeria Golino for HT Film, by Nicola Giuliano for Indigo Film, and by Moreno Zani and Malcom Pagani for Tenderstories and RAI Cinema, with associate producers Anna Foglietta and Paolo Sopranzetti for Blu One Film, and with the participation of HBO Max. The film is being made with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Film and Audiovisual Investment Fund and the Lazio Region - Lazio Cinema Lab Call for Submissions. The movie will be released in Italian cinemas by Bim Distribuzione.