The Double Hour

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, 2009, 95 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Widower Guido and lonely Sonia have just been introduced. Sonia works as a chambermaid in a hotel and Guido is a former policeman, now a security guard in a luxury villa. They don’t know much about each other, but there’s clearly a mutual attraction. Guido invites Sonia to visit the villa and arranges a nice evening together. But things turn out differently: they are surprised by robbers and Guido is shot. Sonia is wounded and survives, but she has no memory of the attack. She is alone again, grieving the death of a man she hardly knew but whom she keeps seeing, against all logic. Has she lost her mind? Or is she being given a second chance? This dark play on genre skilfully combines film noir, thriller, love story and psychological horror. The most important part of the story begins to unfold after the first half hour, when the film introduces inexplicable events and unexpected twists. Russian-born actress Ksenia Rappoport and Filippo Timi, who plays Guido, each won an acting award at the Venice IFF, where the film also took away Best Italian Film.

About the director

Giuseppe Capotondi (b. 1968, Corinaldo, Italy) studied philosophy in Milan (1988-1990). He moved to London in 1991 where he worked as a photographer for various magazines and advertising agencies, among them Marie Claire, Vanity Fair and Young & Rubicam. Since 1998 he has been making music videos for artists such as Natalie Imbruglia, the Spice Girls, Bush, and Skunk Anansie, among others. During this period he also created numerous award-winning commercials for BMW, Vodafone, Toyota, Campari and other international companies. Capotondi has been living in Barcelona since 2004. The Double Hour is his feature film debut and it attracted considerable attention at the Venice IFF, where it won three awards.