La storia del Frank e della Nina (Die Geschichte von Frank und Nina)

Three young people in a grey Milanese suburb: the enigmatic Carlo, alias ‘Gollum’, is the narrator of this story, even though he cannot speak and prefers to spray his thoughts onto walls as graffiti. The seemingly all-knowing Frank, on the other hand, talks too much, doesn’t believe he existed before his 18th birthday, and earns a bit of money by doing other kids’ homework for them. And then there’s the ambitious Nina from a Roma family, who wants to study so she can be free. At the same time, however, at just 16, she is already a mother and involved with a local gangster. This unlikely trio forms a surrogate family, experiencing bizarre adventures until reality catches up with them again. But as Frank so aptly puts it: “Reality is just a matter of perspective” – so the three of them can actually write their own story…

Paola Randi, who enjoyed success two years ago with BEATA TE/DER ERZENGEL UND ICH at Cinema Italia, crafts in her latest film a gripping and stylistically unconventional portrait of three teenage outsiders who, with plenty of imagination and a touch of madness, manage to break free from their bleak everyday lives.