On the Lazio coast of Coccia di Morto, Kimutai, a young African boy, enjoys the sun on the shore. The illusion of spending a day like everyone else is suddenly interrupted by a trivial misunderstanding; a chain of misunderstandings with the bathers will force Kimutai to find a new center of gravity in the precarious balance between reality and illusion.
Direction
Demattè weaponizes the Italian beach comedy, then flips it.
Cinematography
Blinding sunlight as menace—every frame a heatstroke.
Acting
Seck's stillness against escalating chaos is devastating.
Director
Federico Demattè
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on the actual Coccia di Morto beach near Ostia, where local bathers reportedly didn't realize they were extras in their own discomfort.
Demattè cited Pasolini's 'Teorema' as influence—the bourgeoisie destroyed by the stranger they invited in, except here Kimutai never asked to enter their space.
IT
