Orlando (Italian) Noosa screening

Orlando film trailer HERE  (there is no trailer with English subtitles. The film will play with Emglish subs)

Orlando Zurro, played by Michele Placido, has never left his Italian mountain village. At 75, he runs his little farm alone. His wife died a long time ago, and their only child, Valerio  emigrated to Belgium at 20. Since then, father and son have not spoken to each other.

Even when they lived together, they didn’t share much: Orlando is a quiet man, making his voice heard when he has “something to say,” as he says in the film. But when Valerio, who is sick, calls for help, it is his face that speaks for him, and displays, in every look, every wrinkle, every breath, all the love he has for his boy.  For the first time in his life, he leaves the town and travels to Brussels, only to arrive too late, and discover that he has a twelve-year-old granddaughter, Lyse. Played with magnetism  by  Angelica Kazankova.

He wants ot return home to the farm, hates the city while she wants to stay there. The two are opposites – he a country man of few words, she a lively and determined city girl – yet, despite the obstacles, the two grow closer and come to realise that they need each other.

A heartfelt and affectionate drama, Orlando is a modern fairy tale about facing the present and the choices it brings.

The emotional charge of the film was there from the start: Orlando is the name of the director’s father and brings out what unites the generations more than what opposes them.

Daniele Vicari is a director who knows exactly how to tell the story of two seemingly contrasting worlds while managing to build a bridge between them. In 

‘Orlando’ he shows us that the future must not forget the past, and that the past must be capable of looking to the future,

Orlando  is above all a film of performance, carried masterfully by Placido who for 122 minutes does not play a single false note. In his scenes, often little spoken, all the thoughts and emotions that Orlando always felt must be hidden, inhabit his every gesture.  His eyes speak a thousand words.

“It’s one of the most beautiful roles I’ve been offered in recent years,” Placido has said and it shows in his masterful performance.

"An affectionate encounter-clash between two generations."  Cineuropa

OFFICIAL SELECTION  Turin Film Festival 2022

OFFICIAL SELECTION  Los Angeles – Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest 2023

NOMINEE    Best Original Story, Best Score, Nastri d’Argento Awards 2023