Lord of the Ants
November 12, 2022
Based on true events from 1968, Italian poet, playwright and director Aldo Braibanti (Luigi Lo Cascio) is prosecuted and sentenced to prison for the love he shares with his much younger pupil, Ettore.
The powerful new drama from Gianni Amelio recounts the controversial trial of Aldo Braibanti, an intellectual whose relationship with a younger student caused a nationwide scandal. Rome, 1968. Soft-spoken playwright Braibanti (Luigi Lo Cascio) is arrested on charges of ‘plagiarism’; that he subjugated another person and led them morally astray. The charges—resting on a rarely cited Fascist-era law—are brought by the family of his partner Ettore (newcomer Leonardo Maltese) who, seeking to extract the younger man from Braibanti’s influence, commits him to a psychiatric hospital. Braibanti elects to run his own defence, one where the very essence of his life is scrutinised: art, science, philosphy and sexuality. Meanwhile, the case receives national attention through the efforts of a local journalist (Elio Germano) whose empathetic reporting stokes community suspicion and the ire of his editor. Elegantly mounted and superbly performed, Amelio’s impassioned film is a deeply affecting reminder of the conflicts that simmer just below the surface of ‘civilised’ society, as much now as ever.
- Original Language Title: Il signore delle formiche
- Director: Gianni Amelio
- Principal Cast: Luigi Lo Cascio, Elio Germano, Sara Serraiocco, Leonardo Maltese
- Country: Italy
- Year: 2022
- Running Time: 134 min.
- Producer: Simone Gattoni, Beppe Caschetto, Moreno Zani, Malcom Pagani
- Screenplay: Gianni Amelio, Federico Fava, Edoardo Petti
- Cinematographers: Luan Amelio
- Editors: Simona Paggi
- Music: Nicola Piovani
- Website: https://www.the-match-factory.com/catalogue/films/lord-of-the-ants.html
- Filmography: Hammamet (2020), Holding Hands (2017), Happy to Be Different (2014), The Intrepid (2013), The Missing Star (2006), The Keys to the House (2004), The Way We Laughed (1998), L’America (1994), The Stolen Children (1992), Open Doors (1990), Blow to the Heart (1982)
- Language: Italian
- International Sales: The Match Factory