Mario Schifano's Avant-Garde Film 'Umano non umano' Reemerges

Mario Schifano's 1969 film 'Umano non umano', part of his 'Trilogia per un massacro', has been restored and re-released by RaroVideo. The film, made after 'Satellite' and before 'Trapianto, consunzione, morte di Franco Brocani', is a fragmented, non-linear assemblage of found footage and original scenes featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carmelo Bene, Alberto Moravia, and Sandro Penna. It explores themes of dehumanization and the decline of the West in a post-apocalyptic scenario. Schifano, who had previously founded the avant-garde pop group Le Stelle di Mario Schifano, created a work that reflects the political and psychedelic currents of late 1960s Italy. The film is noted for its 'warholian' documentation of the era and its 'metaphysical' sense of loss. Critic Christian Caliandro describes it as a 'white hole' of creative possibility, contrasting with the 'black hole' of the 1970s after the Piazza Fontana bombing. The restoration brings renewed attention to this overlooked masterpiece of Italian avant-garde cinema.