Author's judgement:
The images of a semi-peripheral neighborhood of Naples through the eyes (and cell phone) of Agostino and Pietro, two "normal" teenagers. This is the theme of selfie, Directed by Agostino Ferrente, already known for the documentary on the Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio in 2006, a respectable little film. Instead, the one released in theaters a few days ago was defined as one of the most interesting films of Italian cinema in the last six months. We confirm: it is an intelligent, curious and experimental work that allows us to observe a reality with a different gaze from conventional stereotypes. In particular, it offers us a partial vision, segments of images, of those who live in a city that is too often represented and simplified in its extremes: on the one hand the Camorra consortia that give life to the various gomorre, on the other the cultured, elegant, of the famous ties of the Chiaia Riviera, of the beautiful houses of Posillipo.
The film, if it can be defined as such, is a continuous "selfie" taken by the two young protagonists full of ideas and reflections on their life choices (that of being, in fact, “normal” i.e. not involved in criminal activities: “I tried to sell drugs but I understood that it was not a life for me”. One simply wants to the hairdresser and the other the waiter.The backstage, the background, of their shots, is always the Rione Traiano, where it is difficult to remain exempt from the climate of discomfort, social difficulty, pressure exerted by an environment that every day has to deal with with a culture of survival and illicit activities.The sequence of two girls, just 14 years old, who already imagine what their life could be like if they had to find a husband who will then be sentenced to life imprisonment is to be watched over and over again : an acting ability that even after years of acting school it is not possible to obtain so naturally.It applies to all the extras and the subjects that are framed: it seems that they have always been actors when instead, they simply play the part of themselves.
That's why we wrote that Selfie may not be a film but more a social documentary, a very topical sociological analysis that does not propose predefined solutions or interpretations: it shows, illuminates the scene, and that's it. But be careful: it is true that the background is the Rione Traiano but it is equally true that it could be any other urban periphery of other Italian cities, where youth unemployment, tragedies related to drug dealing and consumption are daily bread. For all of this, Ferrente's work deserves attention: first of all the novelty of putting the "camera" in the hands of the protagonists and leaving them with the visual script, the story of their world in images, the lights and the shots in some moments of great effect. Furthermore, the director touches an important key of our current civilization of images: the selfie, in fact, that is the desire to represent oneself through a mobile phone or tablet and re-propose one's photo or video to the technological reference community, small or large, to then "measure" the satisfaction or success that can be achieved through the social networks on duty.
A phenomenon that politics has also done just as we can see every day through "video releases" or streaming in selfie mode, in fact. In fact, if this film has a limit it is precisely in its marked location in an environment, in a very limited social history when instead the questions and analyzes on the massive and pervasive diffusion of this mode of communication are still all open and without answers comprehensive and convincing. But in the meantime, thanks to Ferrente who, through the big screen, helps us to reflect on this theme without falling into the caricature of the usual Italian comedy which, in the end, always gets away with laughter.
