Italy’s International Feature Oscar submission this year is Francesco Costabile’s taut and terrifying film, Familia, selected from a large pool of 24 films. And it was quite the perspicacious choice.
Based on a true story, the film begins as Luigi (Francesco Di Lucia) and his older brother Alessandro (Stefano Valentini) are kids watching their mother, Licia (Barbara Ronchi), living with the fear of knowing that at any given moment she may be battered senselessly by her husband, Franco (Francesco Di Leva). One day he beats her so badly, she cannot take it any longer and reports him. He is hauled off to prison, but her boys are taken from her—for four years! This was Italian procedure a decade or so ago.
Flash forward a number of years and Luigi (now Francesco Gheghi–just amazing) is part of a neo-Fascist group that worship Mussolini. He’s dating Giulia (Tecla Insolia), who he occasionally mistreats. He and his brother Alessandro (now Marco Cicalese) live with Mamma in a new home. Papa has just been released from prison and begins to stalk his wife.
Making matters worse, Gigi feels a need to reconnect Franco, which opens up a can of Pandora worms leading to Papa moving back in. Soon enough, the physical and psychological abuse begin anew and Licia is living in abject terror again–as are the young men. Something’s gotta give.
Costabile masterfully blends genres to create an incredibly moving, suspenseful, frightening, nail-biter–but one that always feels authentic.
“Famiglia” is the Italian translation for “family,” however the film’s title is the Roman dialect form of the word—a bastardization, if you will. And the way Franco pronounces it, is even worse: “famigya.”
Born in Cosenza, Italy, Costabile studied at the University of Bologna and later at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematographia.
He made his first short film, La sua Gamba, in 2003 and in 2006 won a Nastro d’Argento and received his first David di Donatello Award nomination for his short Dentro Roma.
Costabile then directed a number of documentaries before making his feature film debut with Una Femmina: The Code of Silence, which premiered in the Panorama section of the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. He picked up two more David di Donatello nominations, for Best Directorial Debut and Best Screenplay.
Familia world premiered at the 81st Venice Film Festival in 2024 in the Horizons section. The film garner a whopping eight David di Donatello nominations, including one for Costabile for best adapted screenplay as well as receiving nominations in all four acting categories for Gheghi, Ronchi, Insolia and Di Leva, who won Best Supporting Actor.
The Contending had il piacere (the pleasure) of a VIDEO chat with Costabile.
Translator: Gaetano Maiorino, Head of Intl. Co-productions & Business Affairs: Tramp Ltd.
