A father crosses two continents to chase a ghost—his own family.
Marco, a cynical and ambitious young lawyer, lives in Bari with his partner Martina and their eight-year-old son Mateo. Martina had left Chile and moved to Italy when she met Marco. Their relationship has run its course, however, and Martina longs to go back to her country with Mateo, but Marco, the loving father left out of the equation, is adamantly against the idea. The couple clash for weeks on end, until Martina abruptly leaves the country with their son, goes back to Chile and virtually vanishes. With no news of Mateo, time seems to stand still for Marco. Anguished and unable to cope, he finally rallies and sets off in search of his son.
Acting
Scamarcio's desperate unraveling is physically painful to watch.
Direction
Marra's clinical eye makes grief feel almost documentary-real.
Cinematography
Bari's bleached light vs Chile's claustrophobic density.
Director
Vincenzo Marra
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Marra based the film on real Italian cases of 'parental abduction' to South America, a phenomenon rarely depicted in cinema.
The desert climax was shot in Atacama, known for astronomical clarity—Marco literally searching for light he cannot reach.
IT
