Vacation in Val Trebbia

Vacation in Val Trebbia

1980. Italy. Directed by Marco Bellocchio. Screenplay by Marco Bellochio. This charming, seemingly improvised “home movie” featuring the extended Bellocchio clan reveals itself to be a bit more constructed than it first appears, but this doesn’t detract from the unpretentious, intimate feeling of peeking into the director’s private life. Occasionally (in between the idyllic images, elaborate performances by children and more questionable ones by teenagers, discussions between spouses, and bonfire entertainment for all), the poetic passages artfully transform into oneric, symbolic images, calling to mind several of Bellocchio’s favorite topics. Premiere of newly restored version by Ripley’s Film. In Italian; English subtitles. 52 min.