Original Title: La Madonna nel frigorifero
English Title: The Madonna in the Fridge
Cast: Federica Nicchiarelli
Susanna Nicchiarelli
Francesca Gabiati
Federica Flavoni
Francesco Nicchiarelli
Clemente Bicocchi
Alessandro Roja
Milena Marcoccia
Veronica Raimo
Cecilia Ricci
Marta Cosenza
Francesco Lagi
Rocco Pojago
Cosimo Calamini
Director: Susanna Nicchiarelli
Story & Screenplay: Marianna Cappi, Susanna Nicchiarelli
Cinematographer: Rocco Marra
Editing: Clelio Benevento
Production: Nicchia Film srl
Origin: Italia, 2002
Format: Betacam SP
Length: 11'26"
Stefania arrives late, acts strangely, and at times doesn’t even seem to know where she is. She blames the medicines she’s taking and Marta, her sister, believes her. Until memories, dreams, and fantasies arise during a day spent together at the beauty parlour and at the market.
La Madonna nel frigorifero (The Madonna in the Fridge) is a short film delicately exploring the relationship between two sisters, the elder one suffering from an eating disorder (possibly bulimia). The film is based on the strongly symbolical image of a Madonna appearing inside a refrigerator. Rather than delving into the pathological topic of the elder sister, the director presents a picture which in places acquires a surreal mark, where suffering is only seen through its reflection: the sensibility and powerlessness when trying to help the loved ones.
The director
Susanna Nicchiarelli. Born in Rome in 1975, she graduated in Philosophy in 1998 from University “La Sapienza” of Rome, and specialized at the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa from 1998 to 2001. In summer 1999, she attended directing and screenwriting classes at the University of California, Los Angeles, while interning at the production company “Bedford Falls”. From 2000 to 2003 she has been a student of the Directing class at the National School of Cinema - Experimental Centre of Cinematography, Rome, graduating in 2003 with Uomini e Zanzare (Men and Mosquitoes; 2004), shown at last year’s edition of the CIAC Festival in Berkeley. In 2001 she was asked to direct one of the Diari della Sacher (The Sacher Diaries), produced by Nanni Moretti and Angelo Barbagallo in collaboration with Tele+ and RAI; the film, titled Ca Cri Do Bo, has been screened at the Venice International Film Festival (Nuovi Territori). In 2002 she directed Il terzo occhio (The Third Eye), nationally broadcast by Tele+ in April 2003. She has directed other short-length films and videos, among which La Madonna nel Frigorifero (The Madonna in the Fridge; 2002), a mini-DV film selected for the 2002 Taormina Film Festival, and Il Linguaggio dell’Amore (The Language of Love; 2003), a science-fiction short shot in 35mm, presented at the Rotterdam and Torino Film Festivals. Her latest work, Giovanna Z. Una storia d’amore, (Giovanna Z. A Love Story), has received the audience award at the 2005 Festival “La Cittadella del Corto” in Trevignano.