Late Season

Inspired by the notion of sound, Late Season (La Mezza Stagione) is trio of stories set in a small Italian village that is a quirky and fascinating character portrait with plenty of low key moments of wonder. It received its World Premiere in Karlovy Vary’s Forum of Independents.

Made on a low budget with a talented cast and a crew mostly made up of alumni from the Berlin Talent Campus, this is something of a delight that promises interesting things to come from director Caputo.

Cesare works in the town’s hotel but really wants to be an electronic musician as he spends his time recording the sounds of the city and turning it into music. Giovanni also works at the hotel, on the night shift, but is brought to the end of his tether by the constant sounds keeping him awake. Sisi keeps hearing the voice of her dead father, telling her to make sure he is reunited with his favourite shirt. Will all three be able to deal with the constant noise of life?

The unifying theme of sound is a subtle and clever one and is used to create a story that covers ideas of faith, provincial life and the desire to escape. There’s a slow burning energy to the film with the character’s unstated tensions and desires all ready to erupt and it’s this that keeps the film a compelling watch.

Some of the camerawork is also stunning as it juxtaposes some of the beauty of the Italian countryside with the more claustrophobic surroundings in which the characters find themselves.

Made on a low budget with a talented cast and a crew mostly made up of alumni from the Berlin Talent Campus, this is something of a delight that promises interesting things to come from director Caputo. It may be a little too quirky and low key for distributors but its charm should see it do well on the festival circuit.