Riccardino is about to turn 18 in the family home where he lives. He has been separated for four years from his mother, a woman with strong personality disorders. Despite the thoughtful and attentive guidance of his educator, who wants to lead him towards a safe future in the family home, Riccardino decides to run away, join his mother and live with her. His illusion will soon turn into a bitter truth and Riccardino will have to make a difficult choice.

DIRECTOR’S NOTES:
The genesis of the film goes back to a writing workshop which I held in foster homes in Rome in 2018. Following this, I decided to gather as much material as possible from the narratives which the young people, tutors and social workers had shared with me, in order to tell a story which is both authentic and, at the same time, universal.
My hope is that the spirit of the film can really render the soul of the characters, and especially the protagonist, who represents a new generation of young people living on the margins of our society, often invisible, growing up without parental guidance. This generation’s approach to painful situations is not simply despondent or passive, but instead characterised by a powerful sense of irony and irreverent humour, to protect itself from its ghosts. Given the nature of the story being told, the film will undoubtedly have a dramatic feel, but there will also be flashes of irony and comedy coming from the protagonist: an illusionist with just one great illusion, his mother.
Riccardino is the last bastion of a Rome and its people that has vanished: hungry, primitive, cunning, and always one step ahead of the game.
However, Riccardino is also fragile: his hopes have been proven false and he is filled with a deep sense of injustice. It is here that his vitality is transformed into anger. His rage can be read in his eyes, and in the impulsiveness of his aggressive and violent reactions.
In my visual approach, I would like to make the reality of the story coincide with the illusions of the protagonist’s thoughts, trying to enter his head and perceive the world around as he perceives it himself.