Inspired by the work of Italian underground comic book prodigy Andrea Pazienza, "Paz!" is a 24-hour slice of life of a group of university students sharing a flat in 1970s Bologna, grappling with drugs, classes, girls and half-hearted political activism.
Acting
Claudio Santamaria's wired, magnetic energy as Pentothal
Direction
De Maria channels Pazienza's panels into kinetic live-action
Production
Gloriously grimy 1970s Bologna recreated with obsessive detail
Director
Renato De Maria
Claudio Santamaria
Pentothal
Flavio Pistilli
Massimo Zanardi
Max Mazzotta
Enrico Fiabeschi
Cristiano Callegaro
Sergio Petrilli
Matteo Taranto
Roberto Colasanti
Fabrizia Sacchi
Lucilla
Roberto Citran
Professore
Antonio Rezza
Folletto
Iaia Forte
Signorina Corona
Vittoria Puccini
Mirella
Paola Bechis
Professoressa
Barbara Bonanni
Anna
Giampaolo Morelli
Massimone
Vittorio Attene
Infante
Paolo Briguglia
Amico di Pentothal
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Andrea Pazienza died of a heroin overdose at 32, making this film's 1977 setting almost autobiographical prophecy. The cast trained with actual comic artists to mimic drawing motions.
The 'measuring' scene became infamous in Italian cinema, but it's lifted almost directly from Pazienza's 'Zanardi' comics—where it was even more absurd and competitive.
IT
