«Atlas» - a delicate balance

Cinema Wednesdays - Malika Brigadoi

The world premiere of Atlas from Ticino, Niccolò Castelli, opened the 56^th Journées de Soleure, whose ceremony was broadcast live on all three national television channels. Yesterday, it was nominated for the Swiss Film Prize 2021, as one of the «Best Fiction Films» and one of the «Best Photographs». Atlas, the director's second feature film, was inspired by an attack in Marrakech in 2011 that claimed the lives of three people from Ticino. Niccolò Castelli explains that, in 2011, he was «invaded by the feeling that something was penetrating our daily lives», whereas he had been convinced that he «lived on a neutral island, free and happy, away from the rest of the world». This feeling of no longer living in a protective cocoon is akin to a feeling that is omnipresent in today's world. Atlas seems the perfect film to open this online edition of the festival, in this troubled period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Atlas tackles the delicate subject of rebuilding a young woman, Allegra (Matilda De Angelis), who has lost her friends and boyfriend in an attack in Morocco. Her reconstruction is both psychological and physical. Allegra's story also revolves around the problem of terrorist attacks and the Islamophobic and racist amalgams they can engender. A very ambitious subject for an hour-and-a-half-long film, yet one that is extremely well handled from start to finish. Niccolò Castelli selects the key moments in his character's evolution and - by exploring many aspects of Allegra's personality - manages not to lead his audience astray. The narrative construction blends past and present, making the film intriguing for the viewer, who wonders about the causes of this sadness. Those who haven't read the synopsis may feel a little lost, and may not grasp all the subtleties offered by the filmmaker's narrative construction.

Atlas offers a steady pace, which at times could use more time to set the mood and establish the stakes of certain situations. The various elements of the plot follow on from one another very quickly, leaving viewers little time to identify the players and understand the central issue in their conversations before they are drawn into another temporality. This pace is all the more regrettable given that the film abounds in a multitude of subtleties that viewers may not be able to grasp. To give just one example, Allegra is triggered while working on her musculature at her physiotherapist's. This exercise was not chosen with the audience in mind. This exercise was not chosen at random by Niccolò Castelli; Allegra's reconstruction begins with contact with a small stone that she has to lift with two fingers. This direct contact with her passion - climbing - embodies the transition between the time when she felt nothing and the time when she began to regain a taste for life.

Pietro Zuercher's camera plays with depth of field and the scale of shots, providing the film with magnificent images. Wide shots of mountain landscapes convey Allegra's passion for climbing, while close-ups of her body - her hands, fingers and feet - clutching at rock underline her perseverance. The image also highlights Matilda De Angelis's excellent acting. The post-attack Allegra expresses emotions that stand in stark contrast to the cheerful, smiling Allegra of «before». At the heart of the story, her character manages to hold her own and carry the film through to the end. As for the music, it provides the finishing touch. Sometimes louder to capture the viewer's attention, sometimes more discreet to give him or her a respite, it blends in perfectly with the images.

Niccolò Castelli's choices have resulted in a film with a complex subject that impresses its audience as much with its technique and aesthetics as with its construction and narrative. Atlas has only one flaw: it sometimes moves too quickly, preventing viewers from fully empathizing with its main character and grasping all its subtleties. Despite this, the film deserves to be discovered and recommended. Let's wish it a good life at festivals - and who knows, maybe in cinemas.

Photo credit: © Imagofilm