I had the chance to see “Abacuc” by Luca Ferri at the Macro in Via
Nizza as part of the film show “Fuorinorma”.
Shot on Super8 in an occasionally slightly greenish-hued
B&W, the film is a convincing representation of a void both emotional
and topographic.
An overweight nobody wandering around places which have lost any
significance, Abacuc leads a nonlife amid visual phantoms such as illustrated
books, quaint photos of deceased people and female mannequin heads. Solitary
boat trips alternate with regular visits to the cemetery in a catatonic
repetition of the same old gestures.
Albeit rather extraordinary in his size, Abacuc might be anybody
and his life might well stand for everybody’s life. Nothing changes, and
nothing may ever change for somebody like him who cannot love but a projection
of himself. In the end nobody will come to Abacuc's rescue. But in all this
there’s also a hint of comedy, because, in the director’s words, “nothing is
funnier than reiteration”.
Rating: 3 and a half stars out of five
Rating: 3 and a half stars out of five
***
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