PADRENOSTRO

Italy, 2020, 121 minutes, Colour.

Pierfrancesco Favino, Barbara Ronchi, Mattia Garaci, Francesco Gheghi, Giordano de Plano, Paki Meduri.

Directed by Claudio Noce.

The setting is 1976. The atmosphere in Rome is dangerous. It is the period of terrorist groups, the Red Brigade and others, assassination attempts and abductions.

However, the events and the characters are here shown through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy, Vale, in a loving family, especially devoted to his father. While we are introduced to Vale at school, initially with a medical checkup because he is rather small, a touch of the puny, yet eager to play football, then, shots fired in the street, Vale and his mother going to the balcony, his father shot, terrorists escaping on their motorbikes, one wounded on the street, removing his balaclava, dying.

It is important for the audience, while not ignoring their knowledge of the times and their adult response to these events, to see everything through the eyes of the 11-year-old boy. He doesn’t quite understand. His mother turns off the television coverage. His little sister is bewildered. However, eventually his father does come home, to have Vale’s eyes, not the worse for wear. Life seems to go on, especially with his father giving him the gift of a football.

Vale goes to school, the teaching nun supportive, a lot of the fellow students against him. (We have to deduce although it is spelt out later that his father belongs to the government in some way.)

However, the important thing is the appearance of a 14-year-old who befriends Vale, Christian. He comes and goes mysteriously. He shows Vale how he lives in the woods. The two become firm friends, Christian an expert with the soccer ball. When it seems safer for the family to travel south to join the father’s family, Christian suddenly turns up there. The audience is probably trying to deal with whether Christian is real or not, a figment of Vale’s imagination, an imaginary friend or something of an alter ego. When it does appear that he is real in his visit to the south, it helps to see him from Vale’s point of view, suddenly appearing, disappearing, friendly encounters, a blood oath of friendship.

When Vale’s parents meet Christian, a touch of suspicion, but then he is welcomed, into the house, for meals, at the big family picnic, a football game where he plays on the side of the father, winning, to Vale’s obvious displeasure. Which is aggravated when they go to the father’s favourite fishing spot and the father seems to be favouring Christian again, Vale pushing him into the water, Christian unable to swim and having to be rescued.

It is a challenging time for Vale. How he has treated Christian, going to a cliff where Vale had told the story of a criminal and friend who jumped off the cliff. But, the father is there to rescue again.

Probably most of the audience will have appreciated early on who Christian really is, it finally being confirmed by Vale looking in Christian’s bag and finding the photo of him with his parents (the father the dead terrorist) and the newspaper reports.

In fact, at the beginning and the end, there is a contemporary scene, Vale is a middle-aged man, on a train in Rome, thinking he sees the adult Christian – and he does.

The film is said to be based on a true story. In fact, the director’s father had the experience of the father in the film so this is the director’s attempt to go back to his childhood to relive, re-see, experience the significant events in his early life.

1. Award-winning drama? Based on a true story? The father of the director, his role in the 1970s, the police, the attacks by terrorist groups? The effect on his son?
2. The drama of 1976, seen through the eyes of the boy, his awareness at that stage of his life, limits, his relationship with his parents, the effect of the attempted killing, the appearance of Christian, a friend, sharing – and Christian appearing and disappearing (reflecting the memory of Vale's experience of Christian)?
3. The framework of the film, in the train, Vale, age, tentative, seeing the man exit the train, on the platform, his difficulty breathing, the blackout, people rushing from the station, on the steps, the encounter with the older Christian, Christian giving his hand, walking together, talking together in the street? Memories of the past? But the mystery for the audience throughout the story of Vale’s memories?
4. Vale, his love for his father, his mother – lesson comparison with his father, his sister? At school, the physical test, height and weight, health? The report on going home? Domestic life, in the bath with his sister? The meals? His love for football, dribbling the ball? Going to games with his father?
5. The dramatic impact of the shooting, Vale and his mother going out to the balcony, going down, the memory of the death of the terrorist taking of his balaclava? The mystery about his father? Later seeing the television news and his mother stopping it? His father, his role with the government, chauffeur, bodyguards? The 1970s, terrorist groups, the Red Brigade…? Memories of the times?
6. The family, Alfonso’s recovery, return home, the gift of the football? His presence at home, having to leave for work? The caution, the dangers?
7. Vale, with his football, the appearance of Christian, Christian and his age, the way he was dressed, the bag over his shoulder? Dribbling the ball? Seeming to appear and disappear? Sharing with Vale, his story, sleeping in the woods? The bond between the two boys? The later revelation of who he was (and the audience guessing)? The image of his father and mother? His carrying the photo of the family? And the newspaper items about the shooting?
8. The dangers, the decision to leave Rome? The episode with the driving, the fear, thinking it was bullets, the plank on the road? Driving south, the tunnels, trapped in the tunnel, Vale and the claustrophobia, his walking, brought back? Father and son and the difficulties of breathing, breathing through the belly, reassuring each other?
9. The arrival in the south, the grandparents, uncles and aunts, the wider family, the meals? The memory of the first grandmother and her giving birth? The talk of ghosts?
10. Happiness in the south, at the beach, and the water, Vale riding his bike?
11. The assassinations in Rome, the phone calls, need for greater protection?
12. Christian, reappearing, his story getting the train, sharing with Vale, at the beach, is not going into the water, riding the bike, Vale putting him in the shared, ringing him food? The blood bond between them?
13. Christian meeting Alfonso, Vale’s explanation, bringing Christian into the house, into the way of life? Alfonso taking the boys to the special place, the fishing, Alfonso’s attention to Christian, the soccer match and Alfonso playing with Christian, there winning, Vale’s reaction? They’ll and the touches of jealousy, pushing Christian into the water, his not being able to swim, Alfonso rescuing him? The effect on Vale?
14. The visit to the top of the cliff, Vale and his story about the criminal on the boy, and then going over the cliff and drowning? The effect on Christian, his going to the cliff, Vale pursuing him, his father coming, saving them?
15. Vale and his looking in Christian’s bag, discovering the truth? His father and mother discovering the truth?
16. The memories of childhood, going back to the railway station, Vale and his meeting Christian again? The bond?