IT
A solar eclipse, a private grief, a country in transformation. “Cuerpo Celeste” is the title of the powerful second feature film by Italian-Chilean director Nayra Ilic García, presented in competition at the Truffaut hall of the #GiffoniFilmFestival in the Generator +16 section.
A poetic, powerful, and deeply human film, it takes us back to Chile in 1990, amid the glimmers of adolescence and the lingering shadows of a still-living past. Celeste is only 15 when the death of her father shatters her world. Her mother, unable to cope, leaves the girl at the mercy of a deafening silence. In a country slowly awakening from dictatorship, Celeste also begins a journey of self-discovery and liberation, in search of herself and new forms of love and understanding.
“Communication between Celeste and her mother doesn’t happen through words, but through feelings,” says Nayra Ilic. “Because sometimes silence says much more.” A language made up of pauses, glances, empty spaces where every detail vibrates with meaning. The evocative music, curated by David Tarantino, accompanies the film’s most intimate moments with striking choices, including Maledetta Primavera and Total Eclipse of the Heart, underscoring the deep metaphor between the protagonist and the vastness of the desert landscape.
Produced between Italy and Chile, “Cuerpo Celeste” is an international co-production that brought together Luigi Chimenti and Alessandro Amato, strong advocates for “stories that matter and are capable of generating dialogue and connection.” The film has already received numerous accolades, including the Chilean Cinema of the Future award at FIC Valdivia and the Development Program from Ibermedia, and was selected for the Torino Film Lab Extended.
During a Q&A with the audience, the director responded to a question from Giulia, a #giffoner from Civitavecchia, who noticed a parallel between the film and contemporary migration conflicts. Nayra emphasized the importance of keeping memory alive: “The film tells the story of a past we survived, but it also speaks to the present. There are still many atrocities in the world. The message is not only one of pain, but above all, of historical memory and connection with one’s emotional awareness.”