Chiara: the Saint becomes pop in the new film by Susanna Nicchiarelli

Chiara is eighteen years old, comes from a good family but soon feels within herself that she is destined for something else, and that is why, at a certain point, she decides to give up the comforts that her life and her status le have granted to embrace a new philosophy, linked to poverty, chastity and the service of others as did his friend Francesco. We all know the story of Santa Chiara, yet the director Susanna Nicchiarelli in her new film manages to transform it into a new epic, focusing not so much on the sanctity of the person as on the rebellious nature of a girl who fought tooth and nail to carve out her own space in a world of men only.

In the world described by Clare, that of Italy in 1211, in fact, taking everything and leaving as Francesco did becomes a considerable obstacle for a woman given that, until the foundation of her order, Chiara struggled a lot to be heard and to be taken seriously. Together with her miracles that she unknowingly will find herself instilling in those around her, the beautiful thing about Chiara is her resoluteness, capable of helping her not to bow down either to the violence of her family or to the impositions dictated by the Pope: with all her charisma – and some decidedly daring pop songs like that of Cosmos – Chiara, in fact, will fight both for her and for the women who will join her to see her dream of freedom come true.

The film – written and directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli, embellished with costumes by Massimo Cantini Parriniproduced by Vivo film with Rai Cinema and Tarantula and distributed by 01 Distribution – counts on a cast of excellent actors ranging from Margherita Mazzucco, the Lila of the first three seasons ofBrilliant friendnothing short of perfect in restoring the candor but also the obstinacy of Chiara, and the young man Andrew Carpenzano, increasingly devoted to complex and multifaceted acting rehearsals. «The story of Chiara and Francesco is exciting. Rediscovering the political, as well as the spiritual, dimension of the “radical nature” of their lives means reflecting on the impact that Franciscanism has had on lay thought, respectfully questioning the mystery of transcendence. The life of Clare, less known than that of Francis, gives us back the energy of renewal, the contagious enthusiasm of youth, but also the drama that any revolution worthy of the name brings with it», said Susanna Nicchiarelli, accompanying to the theater a film that we will certainly hear about.

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