Salty Air (L'aria salata)

FLICK Heart-wrenching story of Fabio (Giorgio Pasotti), a prison social worker who realizes the stranger he is helping is his father (Giorgio Colangeli) who was incarcerated 20 years ago when he was a small boy. Evocative direction by Alessandro Angelini and emotionally powerful performances from lead actors create an intensely complicated father-son relationship that is rarely seen. Angelini's attention to detail is apparent from the opening shot, with Fabio, a jogger, running screen right to screen left. This repeated image portrays Fabio, instead of moving forward, as running to the past, hoping to fill a parental vacancy with his newfound father. While he missed the presence of a father, he is conflicted with feelings of resentment for being abandoned, as well as his family's humiliation for being related to a murderer. Fabio's attempts at reconciliation are as exhausting and challenging as when he can no longer run. The contrast with his father, who is older and stagnant, speaks volumes about the chasm between them. It was mentioned to me that some of the guitar music in the film was played in reverse, also accenting the dissonance that will always exist between the two men. (Italy) Screened at 2007 Philadelphia Film Festival. My Score: 8.5 out of 10.