UncuT - member only

North American Premiere

Italy | 78 MINUTES | Italian |

UNCUT - MEMBER ONLY

After years in which breasts have gotten most of the attention on screen, audacious director Gionata Zarantonello has finally brought the penis to the forefront -- and it hangs to the left. The entire film consists of one shot of the main character, Ciccio, between his legs from his knees to his mid-torso, allowing for the frame to center on the real "star" of the film, his ding-a-ling. (The title also refers to a bold choice of editing style -- or lack thereof.) Ciccio is bedridden due to a fractured pelvis and broken shin. His only goal is to get one of his many visitors to have sex with him -- while avoiding the detective investigating his missing girlfriend. Try and fail he does, repeatedly. Eventually Ciccio's forced abstinence comes to an end and we learn what really happened to his missing girlfriend. It would be easy to dismiss UncuT's premise as pure novelty, but Zarantonello's commentary allows for the rarely seen body part to become the most mundane (dare we say flaccid) aspect of the film. The film plays with conventional cinematic formats, utilizing off-screen audio and action to propel the story and character arcs. UncuT may aim to shock at first, but it is a smart comedy layered with social commentary and subversive technique.


CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Gionata Zarantonello and Cory Concoff

Gionata Zarantonello was only 22 when, in 2000, he came to industry attention with his first feature, Medley, a demented, surrealist exposé of the school system, nominated for best first time feature at Nastri d'Agento among other awards. Brought up on the cinema of Dario Argento, Zarantonello also acknowledges the influence of Russ Meyer, Larry Clark and David Fincher, who, he says "use violence as a form of contrast, of ultimate cinematic action." Since then, he has produced an animated series for Universal titled Frank Cannazzo, the screenplay The Butterfly Room, a thriller financed by the state that is currently in pre-production. He is now working for Fox on his TV format Find Me a Man.