Visions Of Europe: Nostalgia

A man with a hidden past returns home to Naples after decades away and is forced to face up to his former life in Mario Martone’s soulful paean to his hometown.

Felice Lasco (Pierfrancesco Favino) has lived most of his life in Cairo, but at the urging of his Egyptian wife Arlette (Sofia Essaidi), he returns to his hometown of Naples, which he abruptly left while still in his teens. His first encounter upon his return is initially bittersweet.

The city he knew has changed in many ways, but there remain places that remind him of his youth. Though as his familiarity with local neighbourhoods and the labyrinthine network of streets increases, and faces from the past begin to recognise him, his presence becomes more unsettling. Contact with an old school friend, now one of the city’s leading crime bosses, reminds him of why he turned his back on this world.

Martone stands alongside Elena Ferrante as one of Naples’ most astute chroniclers. Witnessing this world through Felice’s eyes, the filmmaker offers an intimate perspective on local neighbourhoods, but also accentuates the air of menace that simmers through everyday life.

If you'd like to know more about any sensitive content in this feature, see the BBFC website for more information.

From 31 Mar - 16 Apr, Visions of Europe returns to celebrate the breadth of European cinema. With a handpicked selection of 24 films from a Macedonian witch tale to a race through Berlin, we take in the best of European film including previews, festival hits and classics returning to the big screen.