THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN
2023. Documentary.
An Acteon production in collaboration with Joelfilm
In the manner of the characters in Thomas Mann's novel that gives the film its title, in the strange time suspended from sanitary confinement these days, twenty-five people locked in their homes reflect on their lives, on the society in which they live, on the changes in the world and its environment, on their desires: workers, caretakers, teachers, entrepreneurs, philosophers, students, retirees... Most - but not all - are people who have some connection to others participants: there are three family nuclei, friends and neighbours; some have working relationships. These links are also the visual and spoken matter of the film, and they colour the reflections of a particular humanity : that of the society of the second decade of the 21st century.
"The Magic Mountain" is a fresco of the tensions that cross Europe today. It is composed of filming with cameras and mobiles by the participants themselves - who agreed to put themselves in the position of "directors" and "camera operators", and follow the instructions of the director, Claudio Zulian. The images are the result of patient work on getting in shape, through long dialogues about the intentions, the possibilities, the timing of the shoot... In this strange period I could do otherwise. However, there is a great advantage in this system of work: you get an intimacy with people that no film crew could have ever achieved.
"The Magic Mountain" is a film that explores the doubts, fears and hopes of a group of citizens in a decade that has started dramatically.
Awards: Director's Prize "Testimony of our time", Gala of the culture of Campodarsego 2023.
