Unspooling in 1970s Rome, the film follows Clara (Penélope Cruz), a fun-loving mother who prefers to play around at the children’s table rather than socialise with the adults, whose seemingly carefree attitude conceals an inner darkness. Having moved to a new apartment with her family – in a neighbourhood whose demolished buildings and rubble seem to mirror Clara’s fracturing state of mind – she must confront the fact that her marriage to Felice (Vincenzo Amato) is over, and protect her children from his abusive behaviour.
Her 12-year-old (Luana Giuliani), meanwhile, is having a formative summer of her own. She begins to question her gender identity, asking to be referred to by the male name Andrea as she figures out who she is. Brightened by radiant, black-and-white fantasy sequences, L’immensità is a thoughtful meditation on childhood trauma and shifting identity that treats its themes with nuance and psychological honesty.
Watch it in select cinemas or on Curzon Home Cinema from 11 August.
ABOUT CURZON FILM:
Curzon Film is the film distribution label of Curzon with a strong legacy of releasing and connecting critically acclaimed films to audiences across the U.K..
Curzon film was born in 1976 with the creation of Artificial Eye film releasing – a renowned film label widely recognised for being the leading distributor for international cinema, and introducing some of the greatest film directors of all time to discerning U.K. audiences including Michael Haneke, Lars von Trier, Andrei Tarkovsky and Abbas Kiarostami amongst others.
In 2006, Artificial Eye became part of Curzon. Curzon Film has released more Cannes PALME d’Or winners than any other UK distributor and is the recipient of multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which made history in 2020 by becoming the U.K.’s highest grossing foreign language film of all time. In 2017, Curzon received a BAFTA in recognition of its Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema.