original title:
Il cuore in mano, i piedi sulla strada
directed by:
cast:
Karin Giegerich, Wilma Apollonia, Masamba Diohane, Marco Brandizi, Fallou Thiam, Mauro Taccaliti, Max Geller, Giordana Marconi, Sarah Becker, Fiorenza Montanari
screenplay:
Uli Möller, Nicole Swidler
cinematography:
Tanja Häring
editing:
Beatrice Orlando
music:
Max Geller, L'Armata Brancaleone, Lu Trainanà, Tormento
producer:
Uli Möller, Beatrice Broglia, Melanie Hasler
production:
Luis Films, Caligari Film, with the support of Apulia Film Commission, Marche Film Commission
country:
Italy/Germany
year:
2012
film run:
104'
format:
colour
festivals & awards:
The Strada Statale 16, also called l´Adriatica, with its 1000km is the longest street of the Italian road system. It traverses Italy from the North to the South, leaving from near Venice and arriving near the most easterly point of the Italian mainland. On its way through Italy, the SS16 crosses several cities, municipalities but even destinies. We meet a prostitute who seeks to find herself on a pilgrimage, we get to know a dishevelled and abandoned dog which becomes the symbol of hope for an African beach seller and we make the acquaintance of the young girl Wilma, who is putting tirelessly one foot in front of the other with longing expectation of her father´s return. Here murderers become heroes and deportations epitomize love. Here many performers are not professional actors, but passers-by who crossed our way by chance and who simply play themselves. As the film does not possess a script, IL CUORE IN MANO, I PIEDI SULLA STRADA is neither a comedy nor a tragedy and does neither correspond to the cliché of “dolce vita” nor does it only consist of horror scenarios. The SS16 reflects the inconsistency and polarity of life as well as it brings its extremes so close together that the border between good and bad, luck and un-luck, happiness and sadness become blurred.