The Odd-Job Men and Neus Ballús at Bellaria Film Festival
There are many new features and guests that will make this edition special: the Bellaria Film Festival will be a meeting point between Italian cinema and the most interesting works of authors from the international scene.
After Alcarràs and Carla Simón, we are proud to announce another great Catalan film: The Odd-Job Men by Neus Ballús, which will close the festival on the light-hearted but at the same time committed notes of a comedy about integration. The film comes to Italy for the first time after being launched at the Locarno Film Festival, where it received the Pardo for best male interpretation, and for its Italian release on 9 June, distributed by Academy Two.
It will also be a great honour to have with us in Bellaria during the days of the festival Neus Ballús, the young director of Catalan origin noted on the international scene for his ability to work on the borderline between fiction and documentary, of whom one of his short films Immersion will be shown in an exclusive occasion, in an evocative marine projection.
The Odd-Job Men is an ingenious Spanish comedy, a sincere portrait of human limits – and their overcoming – in the daily processes of cultural integration. Amidst the flats, windows and balconies of a Catalan town, we come across the first working week of Moha, a young plumber of Moroccan origin who has recently emigrated. With him is Valero, a middle-aged Catalan man. Mixing the languages of documentary and fiction, the work plays on the bond between the two protagonists: it dismantles commonplaces, prejudices, stereotypes, offering a new example of masculinity, capable of putting dialogue and kindness before them. Thanks to the unusual gaze of the observer on the side, that of Moha and the handymen, we find a multifaceted snapshot of Western European society.
“Looking at the world through the eyes of others is one of the greatest powers of cinema: therein lies the transformative power of this art, capable of making us experience the lives and perceptions of others. Neus Ballús’ talent lies in his ability to entertain us by questioning our everyday lives, thanks to Moha’s virgin and reflective gaze. A hilarious comedy that is an excellent end to the Festival for a fresh-eyed return home”, says Daniela Persico.
