The world of work, a realm of cynicism and competition, lies at the heart of Giorgio Pasotti’s third direction, Sotto a chi tocca, in which he also stars alongside Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Rocco Papaleo, Stefano Fresi, Giacomo Giorgio, Linda Messerklinger and Claudia Tosoni. Six candidates for an important position are locked in a room for an interview that seems to drag on without beginning or ending. Twists, mounting tension, with a single rule: anyone who leaves the room is out. In fact, what appears to be just another selection quickly transforms into an increasingly tense confrontation, amid senseless aptitude tests, suspicions, alliances and strategies, laying bare personal ambitions and fragility.
In theaters on October 8 for Adler Entertainment, Sotto chi tocca marks Pasotti’s return to directing, as well as starring, after Io, Arlecchino (2015) and Abbi Fede (2020). It is a production by Wonder Film, Wonder Project, Cinefonie, with Rai Cinema in association with Officina della Comunicazione, Stefano Francioni Produzioni and Lime Film.
“An adventure alongside people I get along with and actors of enormous talent.” This is how Pasotti summarized the experience, who emphasized “the importance of people you feel close to in order to convey emotional attention to the film. The film portrays six protagonists spied on like lab subjects. In the precariousness that has become a social emergency, competition imposes a ferocious struggle, governed by absurd and dehumanizing rules. The atmosphere recalls a psychological thriller, with mind games fueling a suspense that engages the viewer. Beside the tension, a strong irony, thanks also to the pen of Federico Baccomo with whom I co-wrote the screenplay. Surreal situations occur that lead to a comedy born from the absurd, where cynicism and cruelty generate bitter laughter. It was very stimulating to fuse different aspects, in what is the most challenging film I’ve made to date.”
In a society that is ever more competitive, then, it is easy to think of the many interviews, real or metaphorical, that each of us must constantly overcome in life. Tests to conquer at all costs, opportunities to seize, with the risk of failure and the judgment of others that relentlessly pursues us. A theme that also recalls Giovanna Mezzogiorno, who shared the set of L’ultimo bacio with Pasotti twenty-five years ago.
“It was quite difficult to do, there are many words and little action,” she said. “I was very surprised when I finally saw it completed. We actors had to maintain credibility for characters who undergo many changes. Then the theme of work is crucial, increasingly at the center of life and of people’s difficulties. I must say I am not competitive, and I do not consider it a virtue, perhaps it is a major flaw. When faced with someone who tries to rival me I freeze. But we live in a society that requires both empathy and cynicism, they are both essential. Sotto a chi tocca is a very psychological film, one that pushes the mind to travel incredible routes, leading to a finale that is a punch to the gut. Giorgio had studied everything obsessively, it had been in his head for a long time and it shows. He managed to give movement and different facets to the dialogues among four people shut in a room.”
Regarding direction, Rocco Papaleo describes it as “fascinating and capable of making the film more engaging and interesting than anything I saw during filming. Pasotti handled long takes, where we had to perform as if on stage, memorizing many pages of dialogue. But then, of course, about Giorgio, whom I have known for many years, I trust him since a day twenty-five years ago when he lifted my two-year-old son into the air and caught him. That’s when I realized I could trust him.” Irony in pure Papaleo style.
Speaking of the screenplay itself, Stefano Fresi highlights the richness and sophistication of the text. “It is extremely interesting to propose a psychology of this kind behind the characters. There is always fear of films full of words and with little movement or action, but the challenge stimulates the audience, and too often they are still underestimated. If you propose engaging content, people follow you and become passionate. And here we tell of a workplace world shockingly current, a society in which young people are used in talent shows to see judges who constantly choose and select, even without substantial preparation. Addressing these themes seems urgent to me, and I say this as the father of a teenage boy.”
Giorgio Pasotti acknowledged that the Italian-style comedy, with its ferocity and courage in portraying our society, has always been a touchstone for him, and it was so for Sotto a chi tocca as well. “It seems to me that at this moment there is a desire to experiment, as if everyone has understood that we must dare and have more courage. Ultimately this film is also an Italian-style comedy, a genre that once depicted characters inspired by the commedia dell’arte with a touch of cruelty. My masks come from there.”
Comments