Beloved Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea arrived in Karlovy Vary to present Feeling Better, his second feature as a director. This melancholic romance, set in a surreal hospital, explores both love and death in equal measure.
“It’s hard to talk about love, there have been many films about it. In the end, I chose to place familiar emotions into absurd settings,” the director revealed during a post-screening discussion with the audience. “But my primary inspiration came from exploring the possibilities of cinematic language. I wanted to approach difficult subjects in a way that could still make people smile. And in film, nothing is impossible. At least until you reach the editing stage,” he added.
Mastandrea also plays the lead role in the film, which he dedicated to his father. “But generally, it’s for anyone who finds courage to keep going, even when life throws them into emotionally shattering situations – whether beautiful or painful,” he explained.
When asked about the meaning of the pile of sand the protagonist hesitates to jump into, Mastandrea realized it might point to something the film is missing. “He actually does jump in—but I cut that part. And now someone asks me about the sand at every screening. So maybe I shouldn’t have cut it,” he mused.
