Production notes

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Massimiliano Amato

E-mail : amatofilm@gmail.com

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Title: FREDDY HOTELOriginal story and screenplay by Massimiliano (Max) AmatoDirector: Massimiliano (Max) AmatoAssociate producer: Barbara VenturiLocation: Italy – France – Romania / Shooting time: 12 weeksFormat: DCP 2K – Colour and B&W / Running time: 90 min.Executive producer for Romania: Marian PascaleEditing: Lorenzo MorgantiOriginal soundtrack by Francesco Perri, Eleonora Esposto and Dario VeroSet designer: Sara Santucci

Actor CharacterNicola Garofalo Freddy Angi Maria Cristina Blu Anna – Freddy Angi's wifeGiulia Morgani Elena – Freddy Angi's loverDelphine Sartiaux Marta – French hostessZakia Allel Halima – illegal immigrantAlberto TordiDiego BottiglieriLuca GuastiniLola Lustrini

Angelo – Elena's fatherLuca – Anna Angi's chauffeurBoy in the dreamBurlesque performer

Tauro Venturini Andrea Angi – Anna Angi's sonAurélia Baraldo Bertrand Guérin's daughterBruno Rochette Bertrand Guérin – Parisian publisherIsabelle Noérie Bertrand Guérin's wifeSébastien Bidault Halima's friendGwendal Audrain JournalistDesireé Olmi French publisherGiovanni Costantino Literary agentElisabetta Fusari Ida – acting teacherLudovica Sistopaoli Actress – babysitterSonja Hannelore Mainieri Elena's mother

Giulia InnocentiCéline LigerMarcella Braga

SkaterEmmanuelle's friendFreddy's friend

Lara Amato Freddy & Anna's daughterDavide Amato Freddy & Anna's sonAntonio Fazio BoySergio Toscano The singer's boyfriendCamilla Tecchio Girl on the tramPino Torcasio FishermanDomenico Isabella Boat driverRamona Despu Bucharest taxi-driver Fabio de Caro Man at the harbour of PozzuoliFabiana BrunoDaniele SavinaStefano Valenzi

Bertrand Guérin's secretaryBoy beaten upBoy doing the beating

Andrea Togan Romanian doctor

Marian Pascale Head physician at the Bucharest hospital

Author's presentationFREDDY HOTEL is the second episode in a trilogy on feelings. An impressionistic project, if I may use the analogy with painting, feeling rather than reason. I may be wrong, but I think the auteur cinema of the future will be more abstract as some works of video art , closer to poetry. If my first feature film EXIT A PERSONAL HISTORY focused on the relationship between two brothers, this second work has as its central theme the sentimental relationship between a husband and his wife. The institution of marriage and the family, have always been the foundation of society. The bond between a husband and a wife is something indissoluble,

beyond good and evil. The storyFreddy is named after the leading character of Heinrich Böll's novel AND NEVER SAID A WORD: a man, father and husband in depressed post-war Germany. There is a subtle analogy between the protagonist of Böll's novel and that of my film; there are also some connections with Emil Cioran's existentialism, as well as some references to works by other writers. While “my” Freddy operates within a more confined and contemporary reality, his existential feelings may well be regarded as close to those of the protagonist of Heinrich Böll's novel – and close to the human prototype represented in Emil Cioran's text ON THE HEIGHTS OF DESPAIR. The similarity between these characters stems from one peculiarity: the fact that they have a lover's relationship with their own wives. In a way, the relationship between separated spouses represented in this film is inspired by the ending of Ingmar Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE: a man, a husband, asking his wife “What do you say I return home?”. The film opens with this question and it is up to the viewer to come up with an answer when the story is over. Freddy and Anna meet once in a while as lovers in a hotel: hence the title FREDDY HOTEL. It becomes clear that the couple has entered into crisis mostly because of external pressure – not because the passion or love they feel for one another has waned. This pressure comes from a society that exposes individuals to constant stress. At the same time, however, the way in which this basic feeling of love is experienced is also changing – for the better or worse we cannot tell, since it is only a hypothesis. The protagonist's unexpected loves provide a few hints in this respect, as do other characters in the film. Ultimately – but no less importantly – this film has a suspended narrative form and atmosphere, not unlike that of a noir. The plot, conceived as a film within the film, gradually takes shape through a series of clues and events that only fall into place at the end. The reason for all this is to remain faithful to an idea of film as something based more on feelings than reason.

SynopsisRome, the present day. The country is in the midst of an economic crisis: the threat of bankruptcy has partly been forestalled, but Italy is still on its knees. Freddy Angi, a 43 year-old writer, is experiencing a crisis of his own – financial as well as personal. In debt and hardship, he is gently sliding towards disintegration and is on the verge of becoming an alcoholic. Freddy's loneliness is an existential one, a malaise, since he actually has many personal and affective ties: not just with his wife and children, but also with friends and acquaintances. Freddy is surrounded by a wide array of female figures. Homeless, he entertains strange amorous relations, including with his wife Anna – a complex yet profound relationship. The two meet now and then as lovers in Freddy's temporary lodgings, although months have passed since they stopped living together. While de facto separated, their connection actually seems stronger and closer than any traditional cohabitation. Anna is a rational woman who is very efficient in her work and concerned with concrete matters. Freddy, by contrast, is a misfit: someone with a clear mind when it comes to existential questions, but who is to some extent a defaulting outcast. At his wits' end, since he cannot find a place, Freddy plans a trip – a flight to “elsewhere”, in the hope of finding a new setting and starting point. This utopia, this useless gesture, is still as necessary as any utopia. This movement towards “elsewhere” is a genuine need for Freddy: a way for him to put himself, his life and even his feelings to the test again. Freddy solves a few practical matters and prepares to leave his world of friendships and attachments behind. A short plane journey catapults him into Bucharest. The reason why Freddy chooses to go to Romania is not quite clear.

Bucharest, the present day. The economic crisis takes a different form here, at least compared to the way it is perceived in Rome. Although Romania is experiencing considerable growth and does not lie at the centre of the financial storm, poverty is part of its history. The very moment Freddy has found some accommodation in Bucharest – in a hotel, as usual – his agent phones him and informs him that he has found a French publisher interested in publishing his novel. This is good news only from an economic perspective, since Freddy does not really care much about the novel – which he wrote on commission under a nom de plume – and is clearly working now on something new.

Paris, the present day. The atmosphere is less oppressive than in Italy and less rarefied than in Romania. Everything seems quite normal, although this may only be an impression. Freddy and other characters from the film almost run into one another in this big city, without ever meeting. Each is there to settle some important matter that stretches back into the past. Freddy meets the publisher Bertrand Guérin and signs the contract for the publication of his novel. Elena, Freddy's young lover, meets her natural father, who turns out to be Freddy's French publisher. Halima, a mysterious emigrant who has landed on the Italian shores – like many other illegal immigrants – unexpectedly speaks out as a woman who no longer wishes to wear a headscarf.

Leaving Paris, Freddy returns to Bucharest. During yet another sleepless night, intoxicated with alcohol and tobacco, he passes out on the floor. For a few days, no one knows where he may have gone. While in Rome

and Paris the lives of the other characters come to a head, the doctors of the emergency ward in Bucharest inform Freddy about the condition of his health. They advise him to change lifestyle and look after himself. Freddy's bad habits and malaise are turning into a real disease. Yet, his words and behaviour suggest something more: that ultimately life itself is a deadly disease.

Discharged from hospital, Freddy roams the city and stops in front of a monument, a very tall statue of an angel. He takes some notes and continues his work as though nothing had happened: almost a metaphor for modern man, who can never stop. As evening once again falls upon his hotel room in Bucharest, Freddy stares into the mirror with a stern look in his eyes; he throws the his cigarettes and liqueur bottles away, the objective causes of his physical and emotional ill-being. He lies on the bed and closes his eyes. The epilogue thus begins, with Freddy's recurrent dream: a skater who after a few spins stops fleeing. The film ends with a flight among the clouds: the typical view you get when sitting at a window seat on a plane, as in the opening scenes of the film. We have no way of knowing whether Freddy is returning to Italy or continuing his flight; in a way, it does not really matter, since what we have seen is just a film.

Technical notesAs with my first art film, this second one has been shot without a crew. No artificial lighting was used for the photography and the settings are almost entirely natural ones. The places, characters and the love story serving as the plot are what make up the film. This was the only available option in the absence of partners, and was made possibly through the help of thirty-nine volunteer actors. Still, for this second low-budget production I have put in extra effort on the technical level. The quality of the filming and editing is closer to the standards of the industry. The same may be said about the commercial side: this second film should certainly be easier to distribute than the first one.

The cast

Nicola Garofalo / Freddy Angi

CINEMAProtagonist in “Freddy Hotel” – directed by Massimiliano AmatoProtagonist in “Exit, una storia personale” – directed by Massimiliano Amato

M.A.: Nicola Garofalo was the leading actor in my first feature film, EXIT, UNA STORIA PERSONALE, and was confirmed in this role for the second episode of my trilogy. I thought it might be interesting and useful to shoot a film with the same actor a few years later, following his own personal and artistic development.

N.G.: Freddy Angi is a writer, father and husband, and especially a troubled man. Playing this role was a bit of a challenge, since the character described in the script is certainly a more mature and restless man than myself, with life experiences and habits very different from my own. Still, I believe I have captured his outlook on the reality that surrounds us. Life, for Freddy, cannot be seen simply as an organized trip, and this strikes me as a very interesting thing. The hypothesis that social and economic pressures interfere with feelings, with couples and families is plausible and convincing. As for some of my character's shortcomings, such as the way he gives himself over to casual love affairs, the only thing I can say is a line delivered by my character, which was cut during the editing: “In a few decades' time the way of experiencing this basic feeling will be profoundly different.” We are still illiterate when it comes to feelings: we know how to love, but only up to a certain point...

Maria Cristina Blu / Anna Angi

CINEMAProtagonist in “Freddy hotel” – directed by Massimiliano Amato“Come non detto” – directed by I. Silvestrini“Passannante” – directed by S. Colabona“Le ombre rosse” – directed by Citto Maselli“Tutto torna” – directed by E. Pitzianti“U571” – directed by J. Mostow

M.A.: A few days after the beginning of the shooting I found myself without a leading actress: a big problem, since I wanted to have the same couple as in the first film, in order to carry on the trilogy in the most uniform and convincing way. But every cloud has a silver lining: I was lucky because Maria Cristina Blu, who was already in the cast of the film with a minor role, took up this commitment and risk. Risk, that is, because it is not always possible to complete films as complex as this one without the backing of real producers. Nicola Garofalo and Maria Cristina Blu have contributed to the making of this film not just artistically, but also in terms of production.

M.B.: Anna is the kind of woman one can meet in everyday life: she works, takes care of her children and still has a love and sex life. Separated from her husband, she continues to be in touch with him, apparently for the children's sake, but ultimately for her and Freddy's own good. The fact that she and her husband no longer live under the same roof does not automatically lead Anna to renounce her love and the feelings she still has. Anna is a contemporary woman, who is not afraid of balancing the difficulties and responsibilities of everyday life with the awareness of a passion that cannot be overlooked.

Massimiliano (Max) Amato / Author and director of the film

Massimiliano (Max) Amato was born in Rome on 14 October 1963. After graduating from an artistic high school, he focused on independent theatre and video productions. As both an actor and director he has brought to the stage works by Luigi Pirandello, Tennessee Williams, Slawomir Mrožek, Sam Shepard and Jean Cocteau, as well as adaptations of Studs Terkel's Working. He has worked for several RAI and MEDIASET television productions under directors such as Luigi Perelli, Donatella Maiorca, Raffaele Mertes, Antonello Grimaldi, Robert Chapman and Nicola Rondolino (among others). He has worked with film directors including Barbara Dall’Angelo (CSC), Robert Hellis Miller, Andrea Lodovichetti (CSC) and Maurizio Ponzi, as well as Carlo Verdone in 2003 through the film MA CHE COLPA ABBIAMO NOI. As an author, he has shot and produced a documentary on independent cinema and a short film on anti-personnel mines. EXIT UNA STORIA PERSONALE is his first feature film as a director and scriptwriter. FREDDY HOTEL is the second episode of his trilogy on feelings. He is currently working on the staging of In a Dark Dark House by Neil LaBute, a work as yet unreleased in Italy.

Awards & Festivals

ANNECY CINEMA ITALIEN 2010Prix d'Interprétation masculine à Luca Guastini pour son ròle dans le film “EXIT Una Storia Personale” de Max AmatoMention spéciale (CICAE – Pierre Todeschini) à Max Amato pour son film “EXIT Una Storia Personale”

Film Bio

DIRECTING2013 “FREDDY HOTEL” story and screenplay / directing and production2009 ”EXIT Una storia personale” story and screenplay / directing and production2003 “A Dream”, short film on anti-personnel mines. Sonar International Film festival 2003 “Il cinema clandestino”. Sonar International Film festival 2003/Immaginaria film festival

THEATRE1999 “Quello che facciamo... quello che sentiamo...” by S. Terkel2000 “27 Wagons Full of Cotton” by T. Williams – Selezione Nuovi scenari italiani 2000 “The Human Voice” by Jean Cocteau 2000 “The Nurse and the Hooker” by S. Terkel2013 “In a Dark Dark House” by Neil LaBute

Cinema/Features/Actor1992 “The Cherry Orchard”, directed by Antonello Aglioti, with T. Berenson, S. Strasberg, role: André1993 “Anche i commercialisti hanno un anima”, directed by Maurizio Ponzi, with S. Ferilli, role: shop assistant2003 “Ma che colpa abbiamo noi”, directed by Carlo Verdone, role: Luca, one of the protagonists.2011 “Cruel Tango”, directed by Salvatore Metastasio, role: inspector2011 “Il silenzio di Hellis”, directed by David Petrucci, role: protagonist

Reviews of the first chapter of Massimiliano Amato's "trilogy on feelings" from the French press

L'Humanité: EXIT, UNA STORIA PERSONALE, de Massimiliano Amato. Au bout du compte, un vrai roman contemporain, palpitant au rythme de la vie urbaine. Un des films les plus splendides mais discrets du moment. Vincent Ostria

Le Figaro: Pas de production, aucun moyen, aucune distance entre le film achevé et les sentiments qui l'ont dicté: l'angoisse, la tendresse, la fatigue, l'impuissance y passent avec une sincérité bouleversante.

Avoir a lire: Un beau premier film à fleur de peau sur la relation de deux frères, l’un tentant de retenir l’autre au bord du gouffre. C’est le portrait de cette relation fraternelle complexe et cette sensation d’équilibre instable au bord d’un précipice qui rendent captivant ce film parcouru des frémissements d’une sensibilité cinématographique à fleur de peau.

Libération: Dans les beaux visage et corps voyous du pasolinien Marco (Luca Guastini) se lisent souffrance, confusion, peur primale et fraternité mortelle. La première image d’Exit est la dernière de SANCTUM. Entre les deux film, quelques millions de dollars de technologie lourde. A fonds perdu. Ceux

auxquels ouvre Exit, avec ses moyens misérables et splendides, sont plus profonds que ceux où barbotent les effets spéciaux 3D de Sanctum.

Froggy's delight: "EXIT - Una storia personale" appartient au cercle très fermé des films qui font vivre une expérience à leurs spectateurs tout autant qu’aux acteurs qui les interprètent. Film de sensation plus que de raison touchera les âmes.

Le Monde France: «Exit, una storia personale», de Max Amato, Italie, 2010. Débutant comme un rêve prémonitoire de l'épilogue, Exit est la peinture d'une souffrance, à vif. Dans ce flux de poursuites vaines, aveugles, angoissées, la courte rencontre de Marco avec une prostituée d'Amsterdam, les quelques minutes qu'il passe avec elle, en sursis, frappe par l'impact de sa douceur infinie – un apaisement, la figuration fugitive d'un eden, atteint sans a priori.