Director Emanuele Crialese on Being the Girl Who Wants to Be a Boy in His Personal Penélope Cruz-Starrer ‘L’immensità’ (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian director Emanuele Crialese broke out with 2002 Cannes Critics Week winner “Respiro,” followed by “Nuovomondo” and “Terraferma,” which both scooped prizes in Venice.
He’s back on the Lido with his ambitious, boldly personal drama “L’immensità.” Set in 1970s Rome, the film features Penélope Cruz as the mother of two children, one of whom is a 12-year-old named Adriana who wants to change her name and gender identity and convince everyone that she is male.
In his director’s note, Crialese calls “L’immensità” a memory-based film for which he needed the necessary time, distance and self-awareness to make.
Though not strictly autobiographical, it is based on the director’s personal experience transitioning. As Crialese tells Variety, Adriana’s character is a representation of himself. Like “Respiro,” “L’Immensità” is centered on the troubled rapport between a powerful female character and her family, especially her children. “Respiro” was the first time I explored a female character in a film.
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