Alice Rohrwacher's 'Lazzaro Felice' Premieres at Cannes 2018

Alice Rohrwacher presented her third feature film 'Lazzaro Felice' at the 71st Cannes Film Festival (8-19 May 2018), where it competed for the Palme d'Or as one of two Italian entries in Official Selection. The film follows Lazzaro, a young peasant boy lost in a dimension of 'non-time,' and his friendship with Tancredi, a spoiled youth. Rohrwacher described Lazzaro as a concept of pure goodness, inspired by a children's story about Saint Francis and the wolf. The director shot in full frame to avoid masking Lazzaro's face, embracing imperfection. The cast includes Alba Rohrwacher, Nicoletta Braschi, and newcomer Adriano Tardiolo. Rohrwacher cited influences from Ermanno Olmi and the Taviani brothers, expressing regret that Olmi, who recently passed away, could not see the film. She finished the film just before the festival and received over ten minutes of applause at the screening. The film explores the end of peasant civilization and migration to city edges, depicting a transition from material to human Middle Ages. Rohrwacher stated, 'My story is not new, it didn't want to be. The world is full of Candidi, Lazzari, Saints; we don't need new stories, we can learn to tell them differently.'