Borromini vs Bernini: docufilm explores rivalry of Baroque masters

The documentary 'Borromini e Bernini. Sfida alla perfezione' (Borromini and Bernini: Challenge to Perfection) will screen in Italian cinemas on May 15, 16, and 17, 2023, distributed by Nexo Digital. Directed by Giovanni Troilo, the film contrasts the lives and works of Francesco Borromini and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, two rival architects of Baroque Rome. Actors Jacopo Olmo Antinori, Pierangelo Menci, and Antonio Lanni provide contemporary reenactments, while experts offer commentary. The film traces Borromini's career from his early struggles—working at St. Peter's under Bernini's shadow—to his eventual independence with commissions from minor religious orders, notably the Church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. It highlights their differing personalities: Borromini, introverted and eccentric, dressed in black; Bernini, extroverted and politically savvy. After Pope Innocent X (of the Pamphili family, enemies of Bernini's patrons the Barberini) temporarily sidelined Bernini, Borromini gained major projects like the reconstruction of San Giovanni in Laterano. However, Pope Alexander VII reinstated Bernini, suspending Borromini's works. Bitter and melancholic, Borromini burned most of his drawings and committed suicide. The film presents his legacy as provocative and ahead of its time.