Just like before

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Just like before (Come prima)

Just like before (Come prima)

Just like before (Come prima)

original title:

Come prima

directed by:

cinematography:

production:

Officina Film, Cinemaindipendente.it

country:

Italy

year:

2004

film run:

60'

format:

Super 16mm - colour

release date:

17/11/2004

Andrea is seventeen years old, lives in a working class neighborhood of Milan. Victim of a moped accident, he becomes a quadriplegic. After having spent almost a whole year in the hospital, undergoing rehabilitation therapy, the time has come to start living a normal life again : Andrea goes home, rediscovers familiar places, his neighborhood, his home, his bedroom like so many other teenagers. Everything seems to have changed,seems hostile, different.
Only the people who have always been close to him are still the same; caring and affectionate using all their energies to make everything appear the same,' livable'as before' : his mother, his brother, his best friend and his girlfriend.
It is the beginning of an acceptance and understanding process for Andrea and those around him.
With a lot of hard work, Andrea will try and rebuild his personal relationships with the outside world, coming to grips with the ignorance, the fear and the hardships.
The most difficult clash will be with his father: who has been away from the family for a long time, and now returns ' out of duty' to be near Andrea.
He believes he can put his own depression on hold, by focsuing on his son's problems; he doesn't however understand his son's feeling and needs. Regardless of the unpleasant episodes and difficulties, Andrea will realise it is worth the effort to fight and grow up, with his family and his friends.