by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

‘It Was The Son’ uses Daniele Ciprì’s acid humour to tell a multilayered tale about a Sicilian family tragedy populated with grotesque characters. The film, based on a novel by Roberto Alajmo, is a story within a story narrated by Old Busu, about the Ciraulo family boy who killed his father in a fight over a scratched car. Nicola Ciraulo makes a living by scavenging for old boat parts with son and father while his mother, wife, and daughter take care of the home in a grim housing project. A tragic accident resulting from a vendetta offers them the opportunity to make lots of money fast. The unforgiving satire of Palermo lifestyle premiered at the 69th Venice Film Festival and is now in New York at the Open Roads: New Italian Cinema Film Festival, at Lincoln Center.

Here is the exclusive interview with Daniele Ciprì:

What struck you about Alajmo’s book, to develop it into a feature?

Certainly the matriarchy at the end, which is the only thing of the novel (inspired by a true story) that I kept. I wanted to evoke a family disaster in a universal way, and find a key to the storytelling that would make it global and not only Sicilian. I added a few grotesque touches here and there to portray a family’s typical day, that leads to a final drama.

The film has been defined as a dark fairytale, how did you create the characters?

The first one was Tancredi, who has a grandfather who evokes all these tales: this is what the old aged man has left – to recall nightmares from his past, just like in fairytales that always have a dark side to them – since he is a dead man walking, with no future nor hope.

How was casting the actors?

It was long since I didn’t want only Sicilians.Toni Servillo was cast at the end, because I wanted an actor with his talent, who would evoke Sicily rather than embody it. All the other actors though are from the island and represent Palermo’s realism. I was delighted for Fabrizio Falco, who won the Marcello Matroianni Award at the Venice Film Festival, ‘It Was The Son’ was his first film.

The drama is set in Sicily, but was shot in Puglia…

I actually wanted to do the shooting in Ukraine, that I know since I adopted a child there and visited the country as I love Tarkovskij very much. I wanted the outskirts of a universal place. But production-wise Ukraine was impossible to use as location and Puglia was the perfect alternative, besides there is an excellent film commission.

Other than Tarkovskij did other film directors influence you?

I chose to quote several: In my film I tribute Monicelli, Scola. My desire was to evoke respectfully the movies I loved.

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