Italy, by dint of geography and migrational history, perches itself in a fairly unique position within continental Europe. The affluent and pale north takes most of its cues from its Western European neighbours. While the south has much more of a Mediterranean outlook, both as a society and a state of mind. It’s a country which is often the first port for immigration from Africa. Where politics and money are regularly intertwined.
As Europeans, we are, and have been, pretty bad at giving young people a voice. The ability to air their opinions. They’re often dismissed as being too immature to fully comprehend the world or understand the intricacies of adult life. Which is, of course, nonsense. Also, incorrectly correlating wisdom with age. Documentarians have long sought to address this imbalance. Futura is another attempt to do so.
In Futura, three filmmakers (Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi and Alice Rohrwacher) interview a cross-section of the nation’s youth to establish their hopes, dreams and fears. To ask them whether they see a future for themselves inside or outside the country. Futura works on the base level and it’s always interesting to hear the opinions of another generation. It doesn’t really go much further than this though, so its appeal may be limited.
Futura is out in UK cinemas on 8 July.
