Maresco Describes Bene Biopic as ‘Grotesque Film for Dead Cinema’

Venice: Franco Maresco’s biopic, “Un film fatto per Bene,” about the late iconoclastic theatre figure Carmelo Bene, is described by the director as “a grotesque film for a cinema that is now dead.” This statement was made during the presentation of the last of Italy’s five entries for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

According to Ansa News Agency, Maresco’s film, which explores his own struggles while making the film about the celebrated actor and director Bene, who passed away at 64 in 2002, is both a self-deprecating and non-celebratory biopic. It is a grotesque, ramshackle, and melancholic exploration of reality. The film underscores some of Maresco’s personal points: his belief that cinema is dead, his obsessions like obsessive-compulsive disorder, his disdain for Italian cinema, and his chronic inability to finish a film.

Producer Andrea Occhipinti, a protagonist who plays himself in the film, is aware of Maresco’s challenges, being the main “victim” of the director’s reluctance to conclude the film. The film’s production faced abrupt interruptions after repeated on-set accidents, with Occhipinti eventually halting the process due to continuous delays.

Maresco, known for works like “Belluscone” and “The Mafia Isn’t What It Used to Be,” accused the production of “filmicide,” while his friend Umberto Cantone tried to mediate the situation. Maresco’s notes reflect a realization that his films have been self-destructive endeavors, expressing fear about the outcome of this project.

The film features the grotesque and degraded humanity of Maresco’s cult television program Cinico TV in black and white, with surreal theatricals and a pessimistic worldview, all underscoring the director’s aversion to compromise. The cast includes Umberto Cantone, Marco Alessi, and others, and the film is dedicated to the recently deceased critic and intellectual Goffredo Fofi. It was released in theaters on September 5th by Lucky Red.

Maresco, who won the Special Jury Prize in 2019 with “The Mafia Isn’t What It Used to Be,” did not attend the festival this year. “Bene” is the fifth and last Italian film competing for the Golden Lion at this 82nd edition of the prestigious event. Other Italian entries include works by Leonardo Di Costanzo, Paolo Sorrentino, Pietro Marcello, and Gianfranco Rosi.