Stanza 52

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Stanza 52

original title:

Stanza 52

directed by:

screenplay:

cinematography:

editing:

producer:

Francesco Bellusci

country:

Italy

year:

2016

film run:

13'

format:

DCP - colour

status:

Ready (28/07/2016)

festivals & awards:

Room no. 52 in a Neapolitan luxury hotel has something magical and mysterious about it. The only person aware of it is Serena, an eccentric fifty-year-old waitress who, despite her difficult life, has never lost her smile. While cleaning the room Serena questions it about her late husband’s state in the afterlife and the room seems to answer her, but confusedly. This gives way to a surreal dialogue in which Serena recounts her own and others’ sins and, with great simplicity, tackles a basic theme of Christian morality.

DIRECT0R'S NOTES:
We often forget that compassion is at the heart of morality, thus ending up not forgiving ourselves or the others. I wanted to express this theme with delicacy, always filming the actress close up in order to highlight the hard work on character and her feelings of compassion and hope, despite the pain that life might cause her.