We Believed

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, France, 2010, 170 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

The Italy we know from contemporary maps was born during the 19th century over the course of long decades of suffering. The nation, broken down into small kingdoms, was buffeted by opposing interests from the north and south, monarchists and republicans. Domenico, Angelo and Salvatore are three young men from Southern Italy. Their families were involved in the violently suppressed uprising against Bourbon monarchic rule, and thus the men decide whether to join the newly established Young Italy movement. This epic film depicts the events of the almost forty years during which modern Italy was born. Director and screenwriter Mario Martone portrays the turbulent history of his country through the individual destinies of three revolutionaries who choose to sacrifice their lives for the sake of a unified state. This historical fresco of the birth of a modern nation incorporates a cast of both Italian cinematic hopefuls and also well-known and internationally respected names.

About the director

Mario Martone (b. 1959, Naples, Italy) began his career as a stage director in 1976 with the play Faust. Two years later he established the theatre company Falso Movimento and began to make a name for himself with the production Tango glaciale (1982). During the 1980s he also experimented in film. His feature debut Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician (Morte di un matematico napoletano) from 1992 was favourably received by the critics and took away the Grand Special Jury Prize from Venice. After the medium-length Rasoi (1993) he shot the film Nasty Love (L’amore molesto, 1995), which was screened in the main competition at Cannes and won several David di Donatello awards. He also made Rehearsals of War (Teatro di guerra, 1998) and The Scent of Blood (L’odore del sangue, 2004). The historical fresco We Believed competed at Venice.