Documentary on Cesare Pavese's Vitality Hits Italian Cinemas

Giovanna Gagliardo's documentary 'Il mestiere di vivere' (The Craft of Living) premiered in the documentary competition at the Torino Film Festival 2024 and will be released in Italian cinemas from January 13, 2025, distributed by Luce Cinecittà. The film opens in Rome, followed by special screenings with the director in Turin, Milan, Bologna, Bergamo, Florence, Pisa, Perugia, Avellino, and other cities. Gagliardo's approach departs from the cliché of Pavese's suicide for love, instead starting from his final act to explore his multifaceted life as an intellectual, writer, and artist who profoundly shaped 20th-century Italy. The documentary centers on the concept of 'vitality,' drawing on the words of writer Domenico Starnone, who said, 'For Pavese, literature is a craft, poetry is a craft, life is a craft.' It features new and archival interviews with figures such as Steve Della Casa, Claudia Durastanti, Laura Nay, Pierluigi Vaccaneo, Tullio Pinelli, Fernanda Pivano, Natalia Ginzburg, and Carlo Lizzani. Gagliardo, born in Piedmont and raised in Turin, describes rediscovering Pavese's works as a 'revelation,' noting that his novels, poems, and diaries speak to the present moment, forcing readers to confront complexity without easy answers. She reframes Pavese as an 'uncomfortable intellectual' and 'magnificent travel companion' who transcends his local and generational roots to achieve classical stature.