family, loneliness, aging
Successful illustrator Daniele Mallarico travels to Naples to look after his four-year-old grandson while his daughter is away for a few days. What begins as a simple babysitting job turns into a subtle psychological duel, as the child’s boundless imagination slowly unsettles him. Trapped together in the apartment, Daniele is forced to confront something far more disturbing than a mischievous child: the fear of aging and the loss of creativity. Through this strange encounter, he may rediscover the power of imagination he thought he had lost.
The theatre and film director Mario Martone has worked since 1977 in the avant-garde theatre typical of the period and founded the theatre company False Movement. The works he directed with this company have become references in the world of theatre, cinema and visual arts. His first feature film, Death of a Neapolitan Mathematician, received the Jury Prize at Venice in 1992. He has also directed several short films, documentaries and filmed plays, including the famous manifesto of the United Theatres, Rasoi.