Arrives at the cinema as a special event from February 2nd to 4th Franco Battiato – The long journeythe film directed by Renato De Maria that tries to tell the story of one of the most complex and elusive artists of Italian culture. Not a traditional biopic, but a work that chooses the path of subtraction, avoiding didactic commentary and hagiography to focus on the essence of a human, artistic and spiritual journey. An imperfect, but living story, which reflects the continuous movement of a man – ecologist, vegetarian and animal lover – always searching.
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From Sicily to Milan, between research and experimentation
The film follows Franco Battiato from his childhood in Sicily in the Catania area to his formative years in Milan, passing through the underground scene, electronic experimentations and the decisive turning points towards cultured pop. There is no urgency to list successes or dates, but the desire to show the path: economic instability, artistic friendships, internal crises, the need for freedom. Albums like Fetus, The era of the white boar And The master’s voice they emerge as natural stages of a never linear evolution.
The emotional heart: the mother and spirituality
One of the most intense cores of the film is the relationship between Battiato and his mother Grazia, played with measure and depth by Simona Malato. It is here that the story finds its emotional center of gravity: family, loss, loneliness and that spiritual tension that runs through the artist’s entire life. The mystical dimension is not explained, but suggested, allowed to emerge in silences and daily gestures.
Dario Aita, not a simple imitation
The film owes a lot to the performance of Dario Aita, called to embody an icon without transforming it into a mask. His Battiato does not imitate: he inhabits the character, restoring his posture, voice, irony and distance. He is a credible presence, capable of holding together fragility and determination, lightness and rigor. Alongside him, a cast that includes Elena Radonicich and numerous faces from the Italian cultural scene.
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Soon also on Rai 1
Co-produced by Rai Fiction and Casta Diva Pictures, Franco Battiato – The long journey it will be broadcast on Rai 1 shortly after the theatrical release, probably once the Sanremo Festival is over. A film that does not claim to explain everything, but invites you to watch, listen and let yourself be influenced by a figure who has always refused easy definitions. An opportunity to return to questioning the meaning of art and research.
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