Direction: Roberto Faenza
Production: RAI and JEAN VIGO ITALIA
Country: Italy
Year: 2023
Cast: Laura Morante, Federico Cesari, Rosa Diletta Rossi, Sofia D’Elia, Mariano Rigillo, Luca Cesa, Alessandro Fella, Giorgio Marchesi, Francesca Beggio, Ludovico Succio
Duration: 1 h 35 min
SYNOPSIS
As is well known, Alda Merini was already writing poetry at the age of 15. Everything pointed to a successful future, as she was even praised by a Nobel laureate, Salvatore Quasimodo. However, dark times came due to a bipolar disorder that would accompany her for life. At the age of 23, she married a baker, Ettore Carniti, nephew of the unionist Pierre. One evening, when they already had two daughters, Ettore returned home drunk, and Alda greeted him with a stick. In response, her husband called an ambulance, and the authorities decided to take her to a psychiatric institution, where she would remain for about 15 years, with occasional returns home. Meanwhile, her two daughters became four, entrusted to other families. After finally returning home, Alda began a new life: writing poetry, her passion. Awards soon followed, leading to her literary consecration. At 54, now a widow, she married poet Michele Pierri, who was 30 years older than her, and moved with him to Taranto. But happiness was short-lived, as Michele passed away shortly after. Back in Milan, Alda did not give up. She met a young intellectual, Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori, who became her friend, protector, and loyal companion until Alda’s hospitalization for cancer in 2009.
