Archive of films First Love / Primo amore

Italy
2004, 100 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2004

The drama of a man who became the victim of obsession and a woman who wasn’t able to resist him in time... Berlin 2004: Silver Bear for the film music.

Synopsis

Vittorio is seeking the woman of his dreams - one whose body he can mould as a sculptor, whose soul will submit to his every request. When he meets Sonia it seems that he´s found the right one. Sonia is young, attractive and intelligent, and is willing to fall in love. All the more so when Vittorio begins to tend to her material welfare. At first Sonia agrees that losing a few pounds would do her good and, as it brings her partner joy, she´s happy to oblige. But Vittorio is still not satisfied and pushes Sonia into an even more drastic diet. She, however, compensates for such self-denial through neuroses and a monstrous appetite that force her to violate the carefully constructed regimen. This infuriates Vittorio to despair, and the young woman feels more and more guilty. She apologizes for breaking the rules until the last straw crushes both their castles in the air.

About the director

Matteo Garrone (b. 1968, Rome) studied fine art. Beginning in 1986 he worked as an assistant cameraman while at the same time painting. In 1996 he shot his first short film, Silhouette, and the following year his first feature, Terra di mezzo, which took an award at the festival in Turin. In 1998 he shot the short Un caso di forza maggiore, the documentary Oreste Pipolo, fotografo di matrimoni and the feature Guests (Ospiti). The film that followed, The Embalmer (L´Imbalsamatore), a movie with a rather morbid story and atmosphere, was shown last year at Karlovy Vary and in the section Quinzaine des réalisateurs at Cannes in 2002; it won many awards at other festivals. First Love was based on Mario Mariolini´s novel Il cacciatore di anoressiche, which became a bestseller in Italy due mainly to its theme of obsessions over which modern humans seem to have lost control, but also to its no less topical theme of manipulation and the inability to defend oneself against it.  
 

Contacts

The Works Film Group
5th Floor, Fairgate House, 78 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1HB, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 612 1080
Fax: +44 207 612 1081
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.theworksfilmgroup.com

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About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Matteo Garrone
Screenplay:	Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Vitaliano Trevisan
Dir. of Photography:	Marco Onorato
Music:	Banda Osiris
Editor:	Marco Spoletini
Producer:	Domenico Procacci
Production:	Fandango SRL, koprodukce / co-production: Medusa Film
Cast:	Michela Cescon, Vitaliano Trevisan, Roberto Comacchio
Contact:	The Works Film Group

www:	www.primoamoreilfilm.it