QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM VENICE

In our deeply patriarchal world, most families long for a boy. Forty-year-old Jasmine (Marilena Amato) decides to subvert the paradigm. She lives a happy life in the ourskirts of Naples, in Southern Italy. She loves her three boys – adult Vincenzo (Vincenzo Svcarica), adolescent Manuel and child Luca -, yet she has decided that her family is not complete without a daughter. Perhaps she’s tired of being the only female in the household. Or perhaps she wants a suitable heiress to her salon business. Her inner motivations are never entirely clear, and her resolute behaviour often borders on capriciousness.

Jasmine announces her intention to have a fourth child during a large family reunion, to the surprise of her doting and unsuspecting husband Rino (Gennaro Scarica). Awkward silence prevails. “Why doesn’t anyone say anything”, she challenges her shellshocked relatives. Having a child at her age and with such a large family to look after is no easy task. A tarot reader told Jasmine that she would have no more children, and she does not wish to have a c-section for the fourth time. To top it all up, there is no guarantee that she will have a girl, Should she get pregnant, she may end up with yet another male descendant. A mysterious dream involving her father provides Jasmine with determination to face the bumpy road ahead.

Adoption becomes the most suitable route, but even here there is no guarantee that the child will be female. Jasmine is advised that the whole procedure would cost a whopping €25,000, and that it could take a long time if she wanted a perfectly healthy child. She might have to settle for a disabled boy or girl in case she is in a hurry. Rino becomes grudgingly supportive, and accepts to put his plans to move to buy a new carpentry business or a house in Capri on hold. They both embark on a journey to find a girl, one that could take them through endless paperwork, interviews, and many parts of the planet. This is the most interesting part of the story. Directors Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman, who also penned the film script, successfully raise ethical, moral and practical questions about adoption. Is it selfish to wish for yet another child when you already have three? Is it ok to actively pursue a child of a specific gender, or does that represent disdain for the other sex? Is a disabled child worthy less than others?

Vittoria boasts very strong, heartfelt performances by non-professional actors. The entire drama feels very realistic. The emotions are entirely palpable, even where the reasoning of the characters is questionable. Jasmine’s suffering is discernible and moving. She decided to put herself through the wringer: there is no suggestion that she is a casualty of the patriarchy, or of a misogynistic establishment. This is not a social realist drama. Jasmine and Vincenzo both own their business, and have a stable financial situation. They have not fallen through the cracks of an unforgiving capitalistic system.

At a taut 80 minutes, Vittoria has a very powerful ending and a positive message. A little snippet of real life that offers redemption and hope.

Vittoria just premiered in the 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival, in the Orizzonti Extra section.