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Italian director Dario Albertini’s family drama “Armony” has secured Swiss distribution via Xenix Filmdistribution ahead of its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival’s Piazza Grande section.
Sold internationally
by True Colours, “Armony” is produced by Fremantle company The Apartment, Damocle and Rai Cinema in association with HBO Max. It stars Valerio Mastandrea, Asia Argento, who will receive the Life Achievement Award in Locarno, and newcomer Aurora Cherchi.
Written by Albertini and Simone Ranucci, “Armony” tells the story of an unconventional but loving family. At its center is Armony (Mastandrea), a solitary, 55-year-old truck driver who is forced to care for his 6-year-old niece, Carlotta (Cherchi), after his sister’s disappearance.
Finding help from Pamela, an older transgender woman (played by the late Pamela Schettino in her final performance), and Jenny (Clara Tramontano), his young, pregnant neighbor, a chosen family soon forms. Their fragile happiness is threatened, however, when social services move to take Carlotta away, forcing Armony to confront a difficult journey to fight for legal custody.
The cast also includes Nando Paone, Elena Lietti, Francesca Antonelli and Ornella Muti.
“’Armony’ won us over with its intimate portrayal of the characters and its authenticity,” says Xenix’s Cyrille Thurston.
The Locarno premiere will certainly boost the film’s prospects in the country, she adds.
“We are convinced that word-of-mouth will have a positive effect and that visitors to the Piazza Grande will recommend the film to others.”
“Armony” is the first Albertini film to be distributed by Xenix, which regularly releases Italian titles in Switzerland, among them Nanni Moretti’s upcoming “It Will Happen Tonight.”
In making his latest film, Albertini sought to explore family ties through the lens of loneliness and “how an unexpected event can rekindle a sense of responsibility.”
The story also reflects the economic hardships afflicting parts of Italian society, the director adds.
“This is undoubtedly a deeply rooted aspect in the areas where the film is set. As happens in many parts of Italy, the problem of finding work or decent housing is compounded by personal and family vulnerabilities. And yet, it is precisely in the darkest moments that, if one finds the strength to look at one’s reality from a different perspective, the desire to fight back can emerge. This leads people to open themselves up to new paths that, until then, had seemed unsuitable for them or beyond their reach, especially when the most intimate and family bonds come into play.
“At first, Armony chooses to live a life that is almost on the margins, held back by the fear of confronting the outside world and, above all, by a deep fear of bonding and surrendering to affection,” Albertini explains.
The film was mainly shot on location in Fiumara, near Fiumicino, a coastal area on the outskirts of Rome “that nevertheless feels profoundly distant from today’s reality,” the director told Variety.
“This location allowed Armony to immerse himself in a context completely unknown to him, visually amplifying his sense of estrangement. The fact that the setting has remained unchanged over the years made it possible to capture a territory untouched by modernization, a microcosm suspended in time. At the same time, Fiumara’s enclosed layout visually conveys the idea of a closed space. This made it possible to stage, in an almost tangible way, the protagonist’s tension, constantly watched by eyes scrutinizing him from within a tightly knit community.”
The idea behind “Armony” “comes from a true story that happened to someone very dear to me,” Albertini says. “It is from this intimate fragment of life that I developed the entire evolution of the story. At the center of the narrative is the theme of parenthood, explored through the eyes of someone who chooses to give it up out of sheer fear and inadequacy. And yet, when fate brings us together with someone in a completely unexpected way, our defenses collapse. From that unexpected encounter comes a genuine spark, capable of turning the story into a journey into the human soul.”
In the role of Armony, Mastandrea was ideally suited to bring life to the character, Albertini added.
“The character of Armony had been conceived a long time ago, but I could not quite find its true shape. Valerio was able to grasp its most intimate and hidden nuances, making every gesture feel natural and removing any trace of staged performance. Thanks to this work, Armony fits perfectly into the story.”
