6X Venedig (Sei Venezia)
Italy 2010

Opening 29 Mar 2012

Directed by: Carlo Mazzacurati
Writing credits: Carlo Mazzacurati, Marco Pettenello, Claudio Piersanti

It was Carlo Mazzacurati‘s (director) intention to reveal Venice from the perspective of ‘just regular folks’ who live and work there, to show that this is not only a tourist destination but a place people call ‘home’. This could have turned out quite interesting, – if the protagonists were saying anything interesting that is. An archivist, a chambermaid (the only female), an archeologist, an artist, a former thief and a schoolboy: each filmed during a season of the year the director thought matched their personalities. A contrived idea; I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t read about it; the cinematography assisted little to identify the seasons. Going by their occupations, I am sure all six people (ironically four of them hold anything but regular jobs) could have made interesting contributions if only coaxed properly; only two come close: ‘the former thief’ and ‘the boy’.

The camera often lingers incomprehensibly on details and scenes; gets jumpy where it should be still (when showing a map) or pans scenery amateurishly with dizzying speed. Possibly to avoid clichés, identifiable landmarks were avoided or shown at their most uninviting (with tourists miserably wading through flooded piazzas). In his editorial the film distributor laments that mass tourism destroys Venice. If this film finds an audience, he may very well get his wish! Few people would want to visit after watching. (Carola A)