TOEven in religious institutes, oppressive places par excellence, the seed of female empowerment can germinate. It often happens on the small and big Italian screen: the short film The pupils, the series The art of joyAnd Glory!. The film, in broadcast tonight on Rai 3 at 9.20pmis the singer-songwriter’s directorial debut Margherita Vicario, who not surprisingly makes music the protagonist.
Glory! on Rai 3 and RaiPlay: plot and cast of the film on TV on Tuesday 23 December
Veneto, 1800. In a religious institute for orphanswith a musical vocation, awaits with trepidation the visit of Pope Pius VII. One fine day the maid Teresa, called the mute, discovers in a closet a newly invented musical instrument: the piano. Thus she began to play it with four other young people, like a pop singer-songwriter of our century, making it an instrument of union and emancipation.
In the meantime, the choirmaster is trying in vain to organize a concert to propose to His Eminence. Having difficulty finding the right opening song, he rejects Luisa’s offer of help. His decision to sell the piano momentarily extinguishes the girls’ dreams of glory. But they don’t give up.
“Glory!”. (Storm Film)
The review of Glory!
For his debut work, Vicario grafts highly current themes into a setting from the past: feminism and the value of solidarity. The religious institute, governed by men, tends to stifle the voices of young orphans, who find music as a tool to help them emerge. With a difficult past behind him and a destiny ahead that seems already written, the indomitable protagonists find a way to become masters of themselves.
Narratively, Glory! aspires to address the general public in the form of a Rai fiction, through a simple and effective plot. However, the director also winks at illustrious models, as in the finale, the female version of In the name of the father by Marco Bellocchio. Way in which reread part of our cinema and our history, in a new light.
The idea behind the operation is in fact to raise awareness of the history of women musicians and composers who lived in various Italian orphanages between the 15th and 17th centuries, including the collaborators of the composer Antonio Vivaldi. A horizon that Vicario reaches with panache and enthusiasm, following in the wake of several overseas filmmakers, such as Sofia Coppola in Marie Antoinette.
The cast and the director
The film also has the merit of introducing some of the most promising faces of recent years. In the role of Teresa, there is Galatéa Bellugi, a French actress recently seen in Five seconds And Three bowls. As Lucia, Carlotta Gamba, revelation of the series Dostoevskywhich later also appeared in Vermilion. Alongside them, other decidedly unlikely names on the big screen: Veronica Lucchesi (voice of the duo The list representative), Paolo Rossi and Elio, in small but significant parts.
Before Glory!, Vicar she had gained experience in the cinema as an actress, from To Rome With Love to Perfect Illusion. In 2011 he took part in a short film competition with If I can I’ll leavewhich she wrote and directed, winning the awards for best film, best leading actress and best original music.
In 2014 he released his first album Minimal Musicalsnominated for the Tenco Award as best first work, which will be followed in 2021 Bingo. With Glory! wins three David di Donatello: best directorial debut, best musical composition and best original song (Air!). In harmony with its protagonists, a new and peculiar voice has emerged in our cinema.