A woman with Down syndrome helps her father cope with bereavement in Federico Bondi’s sweet and understated sophomore feature, “Dafne.” Avoiding a saccharine quality thanks to the director’s gift for underplaying each scene, the film is anchored by the eternally forward-looking attitude of Carolina Raspanti in a role guided by her positive though hardly dull-edged personality. Her strength of character and Bondi’s quietly observational approach ensure “Dafne” doesn’t turn into an emotionally manipulative drama about difference, upping its potential as a popular title for global Italian showcases.
Penn Cinema & Media Studies, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, presents the 2019 edition of NEW ITALIAN CINEMA - a free admission film festival made possible thanks to the support of New Italian Cinema Events. The festival has been curated by Nicola M. Gentili and aims to present very recent Italian-released films in Philadelphia.
All movies in Italian with English subtitles.
