Comrades

Bologna is a university city where the young dance wildly in the streets, while families are evicted from illegally occupied buildings. It is also home to the film’s protagonists: SIMONE, FRANCESCA AND OLIVIA, young members of the Communist Refoundation Party. They participate in demonstrations, meetings and try to change the world and their Party. However, senior Party members are only concerned with the past, sabotaging their attempts. Disenchantment with the Party coincides with personal crises. SIMONE's sense of helplessness, the death of Francesca's beloved grandmother, and OLIVIA's contempt for the Party’s inefficiency make them drift away from the organization and from each other.

Director’s statement

COMRADES for me is a political coming of age story sprinkled with humor. By telling the stories of OLIVIA, FRANCESCA and SIMONE, I try to show topics shared by many 20-30-year-olds: overstimulation, confusion, and awareness of social inequalities, accompanied by a difficulty in translating their good intentions into actions that bring about real change. In COMRADES I use a polyphonic narrative. By observing the three characters over several years in their private and political lives, I have created a story that works on many levels. It is primarily a story about growing up, first serious life experiences, crumbling friendship and disillusionment. These universal experiences act as a mirror that everyone can reflect upon.