Ornella Muti returns to the Cannes Film Festival with Roma Elastica, by Bertrand Mandico, in the Midnight Screenings section. The actress, who has already walked the red carpet with titles such as La stanza del vescovo and Cronaca di una morte annunciata, highlights the film's uniqueness and boldness, comparing it to the cinema of Ferreri. Set in 1982, it follows Eddie Mars, a declining American actress played by Marion Cotillard, who travels to Rome to shoot a strange science fiction film.
Analog filming and practical effects from the 80s 🎞️
Mandico opts for a handcrafted technical approach, far removed from digital saturation. To recreate the genre cinema of the 80s, the team used models, transparencies, and optical filters that evoke aged celluloid. The cinematography was worked with second-hand anamorphic lenses and a neon color palette reminiscent of Italian B-movie productions. The sound, mixed in mono, reinforces that vintage texture enveloping the narrative. A true stylistic exercise that pays homage to the technicolor and practical effects of the era.
A trip to Rome with makeup and existential crisis 🎭
The best thing about Roma Elastica is that, besides science fiction, it takes you on a trip to a 1982 Rome where even the Trevi Fountain looks like a Z-grade set. Muti and Cotillard face a shoot so strange it would make Fellini cry. And if your makeup artist is your only ally, then that's it. For those who miss cinema that didn't take itself so seriously, this is your stop.