Independence as Opposition? Redefining Political Cinema through the Case of Mirko Locatelli

Italian independent cinema is defined by industrial and aesthetic opposition to mainstream, broadcaster-funded film production. However, in their narratives about independent cinema, a large part of Italian academics, critics, and practitioners tend to characterize it with political, indeed militant traits that link it to the historical anti-fascist movement of Resistenza. I start this chapter by tracing such discursive trend back to the philosophical construct of “Italian difference”, which posits political conflict as a defining feature of Italian thought in general. Then I turn to the case study, based on a semi-structured interview with Italian independent filmmaker Mirko Locatelli and his partner, screenwriter and producer Giuditta Tarantelli. Firstly, I present and discuss Locatelli’s “off-set” activities. Secondly, I analyze his filmography, which include three feature films: Il primo giorno d’inverno/“The first day of winter”, I corpi estranei/“Foreign bodies”, and Isabelle. Finally, I investigate Locatelli’s film poetics, which is reminiscent of the tradition of French realism. What emerges is an understanding of independent Italian filmmaking not as political opposition to an antagonist view, but as a strong authorial commitment; a commitment for the auteur to perform their social function, and to be ethically and aesthetically authentic, regardless of the specific production conditions.