The Marathon Man (of the Lido)

I had been to the Biennale Cinema in Venice before, but always as a guest for a “premiere.” This time, as a neophyte proud of the badge that credited me as a journalist and waiting to understand what was expected of me, I thought I should see as many films as possible. With my usual diligence, I booked myself in for an average of five movies a day, with very short intervals between each to grab a bottle of water, a sandwich (sometimes borderline edible), or a rapid “number 1”. It lasted three and a half days until I informed the newspaper for which I was accredited of my activities in one of the intervals. Instead of praising me, the “regular” editors burst into laughter, albeit amidst some charitable comments coming from the female component. In reality, however, I realized from that moment that I was regarded differently. In their eyes, I was beginning to understand. They were right because it was an interesting, tiring but engaging experience. Watching the movies one after another became a kind of drug. I couldn’t stop. I understood the phenomenon of binge-watching, those watching four seasons of a series of 10 episodes each without interruption. Only in this case it was movies, and the episodes were not connected: I was going from Guadagnino‘s cannibals to the wonderful Cate Blanchett conductor, to Inarritu‘s dreamlike visions without a break, and in the magic of the theatre. And amazingly, instead of getting confused, I gradually matured because I understood the films and the directors better. It was easier to compare their works by watching them one after the other. Shooting techniques, scene management, actors’ acting, and the way the subject matter was handled emerged, which, while always different, brought out the differences between the directors’ personalities. I suggested to the chief editor to launch on the Ciak daily an invitation to the people present at the Lido, even those who are easier to meet outside the theatre, to experience the same. While I will stroll around carrying a spritz.