Arianna

Carlo Lavagna : 2015

Arianna is nineteen and has never had her period. The high doses of hormones her doctor has prescribed don't seem to have any affect on her body development. In the early summer she returns for a holiday to the childhood home where she lived with her parents until the age of three – a beautiful villa on the shores of the Bolsena lake. During her visit, ancient memories gradually resurface and come back to haunt her, making her decide to stay at the house even after her parents return to the city. In the silent, sweltering afternoons, something begins to shift inside her. The encounter with her younger cousin – so feminine and different from her – and the loss of her virginity to a young man her age, force Arianna to face the ghosts that have been tormenting her and bring her to finally face the true nature of her sexuality. In a world seen through the eyes of a 19-year-old intersex, the film questions the relationship between power and abnormalities and the consequences of their conflict. Documentary filmmaker Carlo Lavagna's feature debut was winner of the Premio Laguna SUD for Best Italian Discovery and the FEDEORA Award for Best Young Actress when it premiered in competition at Venice Days 2015.