Diciannove (transl. Nineteen) is a 2024 Italian-British coming-of-age drama film directed by Giovanni Tortorici in his feature directorial debut. Starring newcomer Manfredi Marini, it follows a restless 19-year-old student on his journey of self-discovery. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2024 and received a theatrical release in Italy on 30 September 2024.
| Diciannove | |
|---|---|
 Italian film poster | |
| Directed by | Giovanni Tortorici |
| Written by | Giovanni Tortorici |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Massimiliano Kuveiller |
| Edited by | Marco Costa |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Italian |
Premise
editLeonardo, a 19-year-old student, leaves his hometown of Palermo to study economics in London. He soon grows restless and enrolls at the University of Siena to study literature before dropping out of school to study classics on his own. The following year, he travels to Turin to continue his journey of self-discovery.
Cast
edit- Manfredi Marini as Leonardo Gravina
- Vittoria Planeta as Arianna Gravina, Leonardo's sister
- Dana Giuliano as Grazia, Arianna's roommate
- Zackari Delmas
- Luca Lazzareschi
- Sergio Benvenuto
- Maria Pia Ferlazzo as Leonardo's mother
Production
editThe film is loosely autobiographical, with some elements taken directly from director Giovanni Tortorici's life.[1] He stated:
I was born in Palermo, Sicily. When I was 18 I moved to England because, just like in the movie, I planned to study business. Then I changed my mind – again, just like the movie – and I went to Siena to study literature because I was very passionate about literature. . . . Then at a certain point, I started to think that I wanted to tell stories with cinema, with images. So I left the literature university and I went to a film school in Turin.
— Giovanni Tortorici[2]
Tortorici met fellow Sicilian Luca Guadagnino while working as an assistant director on Guadagnino's 2020 miniseries We Are Who We Are. Tortorici later showed Guadagnino his script for Diciannove, and Guadagnino loved it so much that he offered to produce the film.[2] Manfredi Marini, who plays Leonardo, was selected for the role via open castings.[3][4]
The film was shot on 35 mm film.[1][5] Principal photography took place in Siena, Palermo, Milan, and London in 2023.[6][7] Tortorici's childhood home was also used as a filming location.[8]
Release
edit_at_81st_Venice_International_Film_Festival.jpg)
The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 30 August 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition.[9][10] It was also screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival,[11] and the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024.[12]
Reception
editKate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a B+, writing, "Giovanni Tortorici's feature directorial debut is a creative shape-shifter, but once this Luca Guadagino-produced feature finally snaps into focus, it becomes something much more exciting."[13]
Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Diciannove is unflinchingly honest about what it's like to be 19, and, for the most part, totally lost. And Tortorici's insistence on capturing that feeling while avoiding the usual narrative tropes is what makes his film both fascinating and somewhat impenetrable."[14] Guy Lodge of Variety called the film "a vivid, humane evocation of what it's like to be 19 years old, with the world at your feet and over your head".[15]
Simone Emiliani of Mymovies.it gave the film three-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it a "bold and decidedly convincing debut where even its limitations make it even more electrifying".[16] Lorenzo Ciofani of Cinematografo.it also gave the film three-and-a-half out of five stars, writing that "Giovanni Tortorici's first work is a disturbing seminar on the youth of a student who loves the literature of the past and does not know what to do in the present".[17] Camillo De Marco of Cineuropa called the film "light-hearted, provocative, asyntactic".[18]
Martina Barone of GQ Italia called the film "a courageous and arrogant debut" and wrote, "If the university years are the same ones in which one experiments the most, so with his debut feature film Giovanni Tortorici decides that it is right to try to be everything and its exact opposite, to have a well-defined character, but at the same time to be able to allow oneself to try, improvise and even make mistakes. Those who have never made a mistake at nineteen have never had the opportunity to grow up, so it is fun to watch a film so openly repulsive, so obsessively focused on not pleasing anyone...."[19]
Accolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venice Film Festival | 7 September 2024 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | Nominated | [20] |
References
edit- ^ a b Brzeski, Patrick (2 September 2024). "Giovanni Tortorici, a Protégé of Luca Guadagnino, on His Directorial Debut 'Diciannove'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b Vivarelli, Nick (29 August 2024). "Director Giovanni Tortorici on How Luca Guadagnino Shepherded His Venice and Toronto-Bound Debut 'Diciannove'". Variety. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Finos, Arianna (30 August 2024). "Alla Mostra c'è "Diciannove", sui dolori dello studente fuori sede. Il regista Tortorici: "Mentivo ai miei sugli esami, il cinema mi ha reso felice"". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (8 September 2024). "A Luca Guadagnino Protégé Readies for the World with 'Diciannove' and a Gen Z Heir to Antoine Doinel". IndieWire. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (24 July 2024). "2024 Movies Shot on Film: From 'Challengers' to 'Nosferatu'". IndieWire. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Cianferoni, Andrea (5 May 2023). "Iniziano a Siena le riprese del film prodotto da Luca Guadagnino: aperti nuovi casting". Il Giornale d'Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Rosi, Eleonora (10 May 2023). "Ciak, si gira 'Diciannove' E Siena sale in cattedra". La Nazione (in Italian). Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Giovanni Tortorici: "Dietro le buone maniere, i lati peggiori dell'animo umano"". Cinematografo.it (in Italian). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Aricò, Giacomo (2 August 2024). "Festival di Venezia 2024, si comincia: il programma con film, date e le star più attese". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ "Diciannove. Letteratura, arte e tanta "pazienza". Intervista a Giovanni Tortorici e Manfredi Marini". Cinecittà News (in Italian). 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (24 July 2024). "Toronto unveils 2024 Discovery line-up; 'Bonjour Tristesse' to open". Screen Daily. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Deb, Deepshikha (30 September 2024). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup". High On Films. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (30 August 2024). "'Diciannove' Review: Coming of Age Is Chaos in This Slippery, Sly Italian Debut". IndieWire. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Mintzer, Jordan (30 August 2024). "'Diciannove' Review: An Uncompromising Chronicle of an Italian College Student Trying, and Mostly Failing, to Find His Way". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (5 September 2024). "'Diciannove' Review: A Vivid, Humane Evocation of What It's Like to Be 19 Years Old, With the World at Your Feet and Over Your Head". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Emiliani, Simone (24 July 2024). "Diciannove". Mymovies.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Ciofani, Lorenzo (30 August 2024). "Diciannove". Cinematografo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ De Marco, Camillo (31 August 2024). "Recensione: Diciannove". Cineuropa (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Barone, Martina (30 August 2024). "Diciannove è un film d'esordio coraggioso e arrogante come si può solo a quell'età". GQ Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Ford, Lily (7 September 2024). "Venice Film Festival Awards: Pedro Almodóvar Wins Golden Lion for 'The Room Next Door'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
External links
edit- Diciannove at IMDb
