Festa Mobile screening - review - TUTTE LE STORIE DI PIERA (All of Piera's Stories) by Peter Marcias

Can’t blame this film for being what it is, as it seems to almost entirely have been made to fit in with a special lifetime achievement award at the Torino Film Festival for renowned and celebrated theatre and cinema actress Piera degli Esposti.

The title’s literal translation in English reads All of Piera’s Stories, but this is simply not true. More than anything, this seems to be a pimp tribute and celebration of the actress so exaggerated that it almost seems untrue and, quite frankly, like an elegy for a dead person. Which in itself is a bizarre thing, also because Piera is very much alive…

In other words, Marcias seems to be more interested in the form of the documentary as a medium than the nature of the character of Piera degli Esposti. Dancing on a desolate beach or inexplicable shots of Paolo Sorrentino as if seen on another cinema screen reveal the triviality and downright futility of the director’s attempts at embellishments.

Perhaps the film would truly have worked as a more simple and intimate portrayal instead of an overcooked documentary. In fact, the parts that are most engaging are the ones that reveal parts of Piera’s private life and her relationship with director Ferreri. However, here too we are forced to cope with a jumbled up structure that makes a mess out of its simplicity.

What this documentary certainly won’t do is help anyone who is not familiar with the actress find out about her and her art. Therefore, it’s absolutely useless, especially to an international audience. What a pity!