In Memory of Myself

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, 2007, 118 min
Section: Focus on New Italian Directors

Synopsis

With its unlimited possibilities, the world is a fascinating place yet, for the same reason, it can also be a source of anxiety. And this is the realisation of young Andrea, who is hesitantly contemplating his future. Partly because he is at a loss, and partly out of curiosity, he registers at a large monastery where young men are trained and brought up to become priests. The noviciate is extensive and demanding, the men have to undergo difficult spiritual exercises: application, mental concentration and profound self-reflection are attained through weeks of training in absolute silence. Andrea continues to immerse himself more and more in this strange exalted and ascetic environment, although he discovers that many of his fundamental doubts about life have not remained outside the walls of the monastery. He starts thinking of his escape, particularly when some of the novices, in moments of weakness, express their various misgivings… The film takes the form of a kind of revelation, an invitation for spiritual liberation and meditation.

About the director

Saverio Costanzo (b. 1975, Rome) studied sociology and communication theory at La Sapienza university in Rome. He graduated in 1998 with a dissertation on American Italians in Brooklyn. Before this he spent two years in New York where, among other things, he worked as a cinematographer and also made the documentary Caffe Mille Luci, Brooklyn, New York (1999). His feature film debut Private (2004) won the Golden Leopard at Locarno and the David di Donatello award, presented in Italy to the best new director. The spiritual film In Memory of Myself, a loose adaptation of the novel Lacrime impure by Furio Monicelli, is his second film.