The Mouth of the Wolf

Colour, 35 mm
Italy, 2009, 76 min
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

It would be difficult to find any place that radiates an atmosphere more particular than Genoa’s port quarter. Or rather "radiated” because the magic of its narrow dilapidated streets, full of drunken sailors, faded prostitutes, and haunting ambience, is slowly and irrevocably disappearing. With the help of unique archives, director Pietro Marcello brilliantly succeeded in reviving its atmosphere, which he then used as a backdrop to unfold a singular love story between a tough but goodhearted Sicilian named Enzo and transsexual Mary. Their love speaks to the viewer by means of the tapes they passed back and forth in the Genoese prison where heroin addict Mary and Enzo met. The creator of this supra-generic film, awarded at the Berlin and Torino festivals, investigates the story of Mary and Enzo through natural dramatic episodes that inventively combine contemporary and archive footage. In this way the director managed to capture the unique genius loci of the town.

About the director

Pietro Marcello  (b. 1976, Caserta, Italy), studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Napoli. Filmography – Carta (2003), Scampia (2003), Il cantiere (2004), La baracca (2005), and Crossing the Line (Il passaggio della linea, 2007). The documentary The Mouth of the Wolf (2009) is his feature-length debut.