Filming has been underway in Rome, since the end of February, on Michela Cescon’s new directorial effort, Desiderio, whose wrap date is set for late March. Following on from Occhi Blu [+lire aussi :
bande-annonce
fiche film] starring Valeria Golino in 2021, the Treviso-born actress – unearthed via Matteo Garrone’s First Love before starring in films along the lines of Vincere [+lire aussi :
critique
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interview : Cannes 2009 Marco Belloc…
interview : Filippo Timi - acteur
fiche film], Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Marco Tullio Giordana
interview : Riccardo Tozzi
fiche film], Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy [+lire aussi :
critique
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fiche film] (winning the 2012 David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress and the Nastro d’Argento in the same category) among many other movies, more recently seen in Ivano De Matteo’s Una figlia [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ivano De Matteo
fiche film] – is making her return behind the cameras with a story loosely based on Giorgio Montefoschi’s novel of the same name, which was published by La Nave di Teseo in 2020. A novel, according to the editor’s note, “about nostalgia for futures which won’t be fulfilled and about the erosion of possibilities, even within the seemingly inexhaustible realm of passion”.

The film’s subject and screenplay are penned by Cescon herself, in league with Doriana Leondeff (awarded multiple trophies for her work on The Tasters [+lire aussi :
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interview : Silvio Soldini
fiche film], The Right Distance [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Bread and Tulips) and Massimo Gaudioso (the winner of numerous awards for Strangeness [+lire aussi :
critique
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fiche film], Dogman [+lire aussi :
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interview : Matteo Garrone
fiche film] and Gomorrah [+lire aussi :
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interview : Domenico Procacci
interview : Jean Labadie
interview : Matteo Garrone
fiche film], among other works). In the late Eighties, in the eternal and timeless city of Rome, Matteo meets Livia while at university. He dreams of becoming a taster, she’s still undecided over her future. They feel an immediate attraction for one another which lays bare the social differences and insecurities typical of their age. But when Livia moves to London to find her path in life, these unprecedented feelings start to seem like a teenage illusion.

Years later, Matteo has become a journalist. He’s chosen the serenity of family life and is married to Anna with two children. But then he unexpectedly bumps into Livia: she’s hiding a secret and her being in Rome is no coincidence. Distance and time have done nothing to weaken their bond: it re-emerges as a love which demands courage and responsibility, and which triggers considerable consequences. But, for all the decisions they make and the things that happen in their lives, maybe it’s outside of their control…

The enamoured lead couple is brought to life by Enrico Borello (40 secondi [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Forbidden City [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]) and Romana Maggiora Vergano (the acting revelation from There Is Still Tomorrow [+lire aussi :
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interview : Paola Cortellesi
fiche film], awarded the 2025 Best Actress Nastro d’Argento for The Time It Takes [+lire aussi :
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interview : Francesca Comencini
fiche film] and recently seen in Marco Bellocchio’s series, Portobello – The Fall of Enzo Tortora [+lire aussi :
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interview : Marco Bellocchio
fiche série]).

Desiderio is produced by Lionello Cerri and Cristiana Mainardi on behalf of Lumière & Co. together with RAI Cinema. The feature film is made with support from the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Film and Audiovisual Investment Development Fund.