Small Body – Clip – SFF 22

The 69th Sydney Film Festival: 08-19 June 2022

Directed by Laura Samani 2021 Italy, France, Slovenia 89 minutes Unclassified 15+

A woman tries to free the soul of her stillborn child in Laura Samani’s hypnotic debut. This aching fable explores motherhood, mysticism and grief. Cannes 2021.

After birthing a stillborn child, the grieving Agata is tortured by her Catholic faith – specifically the belief that her baby’s soul lies in eternal Limbo. Hope comes in the form of a mystical sanctuary in the middle of the mountains which can allow her baby to live for just one breath – just long enough to be blessed. Against the wishes of her husband and community, Agata embarks on an Orphean journey across north-east Italy, along rivers and into forests brimming with ancient power. Echoing the folkloric aura of Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro, Samani’s odyssey is stunning and strange in equal measure.

LAURA SAMANI was born in Trieste, Italy. In 2016, her short film The Sleeping Saint premiered at Cannes Cinéfondation and has since gained international awards and acclaim.

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