FOCUS ALESSANDRO ARONADIO
“I always thought that,
“I always thought that, with a bigger budget, this movie would have been worse.” Alessandro Aronadio had only one other feature film to his credit (One Life Maybe Two, 2010) when he created Ears, a film made in three weeks with the only production aid of the Biennale College. Yet, Ears is both a confident and an eccentric piece. It features an unsociable substitute teacher of philosophy (Daniele Parisi’s first film role) who wakes up with a ringing in his ear and a message from
his girlfriend Alice (Silvia D‘Amico). “Your dear friend Luigi died, I’m sorry.” Parisi doesn’t know any Luigis, but the day still unravels around him waiting for the 7 o’clock funeral with Mussolini fan, cigar loving otolaryngologists, McDonald’s menus and free gifts and old mentors converted to the Playstation. A black and white comedy on the edge of tinnitus (with the effective strings pizzicato of Santi Pulvirenti’s beautiful soundtrack to make sure you won’t forget them).
Critics fairlybrought up Ugo Tognazzi, Marco Ferreri and even the American Indie Clerks. “Embracing simplicity is hard”, says one of his students, now a hip-hop star. With Ears, Aronadio found an invisible blend of simplicity and finesse and dove right into it to create one of those movies that could restore liveliness to the Italian comedy tout court, if we only were all ears.
ORECCHIE
Alessandro Aronadio / 2016 / 90’ / Comedy
Screenplay: Alessandro Aronadio, Valerio Cilio / Montaggio: Roberto Di Tanna / Photography: Francesco Di Giacomo / Cast: Daniele Parisi, Silvia D’Amico, Pamela Villoresi, Ivan Franek, Piera Degli Esposti, Milena Vukotic, Rocco Papaleo / Production: Matrioska, Biennale College Cinema
