32

A girl flees through the Veneto countryside, wandering furiously near a construction site for a new highway. The girl is chased by a man in a jacket and briefcase who intends to assault and rape her. The man catches up to her and succeeds in his attempt, but the girl's force of will manages to overpower him, and the aggressor falls to the ground stunned. What seems to have been resolved with a "settling of scores" is actually only the beginning of a nightmare. Michele Pastrello is a young Venetian filmmaker who has already demonstrated his talent with the short films "Nella mia mente" and "Nuvole," the first winner at the PesarHorrorFest 2006. But to the career that includes psychological thrillers and horror-themed soaps is now added a rape&revenge; with strong political connotations. Yes, because "32" wears the mask of rape&revenge; to stage a denunciation against the usurpation of the natural landscape in Veneto (but it's a discussion that concerns all industrialized areas). It was the author's own intention to pay homage to the political horror of the 1970s, that raw and disturbing cinema that metaphorized the latent violence of postmodern society, the horrors of wars, and the discomfort of the human being faced with continuous and radical readjustments of the boundaries assimilated by the society of which he was part. And to do this, Pastrello follows a difficult and unusual path like that of reflection on the brutalization of nature, and specifically dedicates a 29-minute short film to a highway that does not yet exist, the so-called Passante di Mestre, a tongue of asphalt 32 km long (hence the title of the film) that will soon accommodate part of the traffic currently concentrated on the bypass. It is a theme of difficult management, both for the difficult narrative malleability and for the "comfort" that such denunciations inevitably create; yet the director has managed to endow his work with adequate spectacle and emotional engagement, as well as richness and depth of content. Everything begins like the legendary chase in the woods of Leatherface in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and continues with a rape that closely recalls one of the iconic scenes of "The Last House on the Left," before diverting to domestic scenarios that take on a dreamlike quality, particularly in one scene reminiscent of "Terrore dallo spazio profondo." Not coincidentally, all the films cited are among the major representatives of 1970s political horror, only the discourse that then remained strongly metaphorical and inevitably needed to be contextualized and interpreted becomes in "32" more explicit. The pursuer is not a giant retard who wields a chainsaw, but a man in a suit and tie who holds his briefcase between his fingers, the symbol of an entrepreneurship that seeks out, finds, and pursues innocence, nature, and subjects it to carnal violence. The destroyed innocence, which instinctively needs a purifying shower, has the appearance of a frail but ready-to-defend girl, one of the daughters of Mother Earth (if not the transfiguration of Mother Earth herself) who is raped for the first and at the same time nth time, but who is ready to get up and run towards a hopeful horizon. "32" is currently the most mature and best-made work of a director who had nevertheless succeeded in giving a magnificent proof of his talent in his first film ("Nella mia mente"). Technically, Pastrello has improved and directs with great skill, showing excellent management of both open and closed spaces. The soundtrack, curated by the director himself, and the photography of Mirco Sgarzi then add an extra touch of suggestion to the film. Special mention must be given to the leading actress Eleonora Bolla, here in her debut but already capable of effectively interpreting a difficult and very physical role. The only small criticism that can be made about this short film is the excessive dilation in the central part, a parenthesis that narratively does not add much and only has the effect of slowing down the film's pace. At this point, it would be interesting to see Pastrello tackle a feature film, given that with shorts he has been widely promoted.