Carditello Palace, once owned by the Bourbon dynasty, has been empty for decades. It is in decay and has been stripped clean by plunderers. In recent years, the local farmer Tommaso earned his nickname ‘Angel of Carditello’ by guarding the estate and restoring it out of his own pocket. Documentary maker Pietro Marcello saw here the start of a journey through the provinces of Italy in which he would examine the state of his country: stunningly beautiful yet in decay.
But when Tommaso suddenly dies, this true-life fairytale comes to an abrupt end. That pushes Marcello in a new direction. He introduces the crazy Pulcinella, a figure from 17th-century commedia dell’arte, anglicised as Punch. He takes care of the buffalo calf Sarchiapone, which Tommaso had given shelter on the estate and sets off on a journey with the animal. A journey that is smaller in scale yet greater in effect than the journey Marcello first wanted to make.
Film details
- Country of production
- Italy
- Year
- 2015
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2016
- Length
- 87'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
