Film info: Le quattro volte

Film Information

Original Title	Le quattro volte
English Title	The Four Times
Director	Michelangelo Frammartino
Countrys
Year	2010
Format	35 mm
Colour	Color
Duration	88 min

Production:

Guión: Michelangelo Frammartino
Fotografía: Andrea Locatelli
Montaje: Benni Atria, Maurizio Grillo
Producción: Gregorio Paonessa, Marta Donzelli, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriella Manfré, Andres Pfaeffli, Elda Guidinetti

Synopsis

At first, one could see film as a careful observation of life in a small town in the province of Calabria, Italy. However, we don’t need to explain more to say the film is much more than that. A shepherd lives in a practically medieval town and tries to prolong his days by taking some powder coming from the door of the church. This seems to cure his diseases, although death does come, and the goats are the first to notice it. Once the main character is out of the picture, the role is assumed by a goat the film will follow everywhere. Until a new change in the narration shifts the film’s focus to a tree, a pine tree to be more specific. And, then, to coal. Yes, the film’s growingly untraditional storytelling takes us close to the most basic questions regarding existence: life, death, nature, and the elements that surround us. And it does these through a poetic and smart perspective that, no matter how complex we find it to be, never gives up on humour.