Ariaferma

Under the guise of a "prison film," Leonardo Di Costanzo's camera delves into the labyrinth of true human nature. A powerful, albeit subtle, thriller about the relational dynamics between prisoners and guards. A prison built in the 19th century, located in a remote and unspecified part of Italian territory, is about to be decommissioned. In a suspended atmosphere, some prison guards and inmates await transfer to other facilities, but gradually new relational dynamics emerge and the old prison rules seem to make less and less sense. Playing with the multiplicity of viewpoints and with space, because the very walls of the building tell stories, Leonardo Di Costanzo's third film offers us a metaphorical confrontation between observed watchers and a duel of great performances between actors Toni Servillo and Silvio Orlando. Every shot by Di Costanzo breaks down the distinctions between guards and prisoners, revealing the cruelty and contradictions that exist at the heart of any prison system.