It was all about Wild West myths and classy Negronis as Rai Cinema celebrated “Heads or Tails?” in Cannes on Thursday.
Presented in Un Certain Regard and directed by Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis, the surreal western follows Rosa (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), who, trapped in an unhappy marriage, flees with daredevil Santino (Alessandro Borghi). Many go after them, including Buffalo Bill (John C. Reilly).
“It’s a very original film and I think it will have a great impact. Not only in Italy, but in the world. It touches upon themes that are universal. There’s love, power and a little bit of politics,” CEO of Rai Cinema Paolo del Brocco told Variety at the event.
“It’s difficult to invent new things in cinema, but we hope more original films will come [in the future]. When we see a new idea, we invest a lot in it. We want it to be done well.”
Among attending celebs and festival directors Alberto Barbera (Venice), Tricia Tuttle (Berlinale) and Giona Nazzaro (Locarno), happily ignoring increasingly cloudy skies, John C. Reilly cut the most dramatic figure – mostly thanks to an impressive hat his character would be proud of.
“Those are big cowboy boots to fill,” he told Variety before the premiere.
“Buffalo Bill was such a mythical character and told so many stories about himself – some were true, some were not true. That playful kind of inventiveness, about who you really are, was part of playing him.”
In a way, Bill “single-handedly created the myth of the American West,” he stated.
“He’s a conflicted character in that way, because he knew the truth. He lived the truth. Is it his fault for telling us the myth, or is it our fault because we wanted it? Every country has these myths, and its leaders can use them to their advantage. There’s something noble about the idea of American freedom and democracy, and I think America still holds a lot of promise. We’ve gone through bad periods before. We’ll get through this, too.”
Next, Reilly will focus on vaudeville, “Mr. Romantic,” coming to the UK and Europe in the fall. The album will be out in June.
“It’s an evening of American songbook standards. I’m an imaginary character, trying to fall in love with someone in the audience, and I fail. Along the way, the thesis of the show is: ‘Could you love someone forever? Could you be loved forever?’ These questions are asked in a playful way, but they’re deep.”
Tereszkiewicz and Borghi were also mingling with guests, basking in the warm red lights of the Campari lounge. They both appreciated the film’s many surprises, they admitted to Variety.
“When I was reading the script, I went: ‘What is that?!’ I’ve never seen anything like it. There are many people, many fights, all this western stuff. But at one point, you realize it’s a movie about emotions, love, about the difficulties of communication between two people coming from different parts of the world.”
Tereszkiewicz added: “I used to watch many westerns with my dad. I kept telling him it’s all about men with guns. This one starts this way and then changes focus. We go to some surreal, magical places – and we are following a woman, which is interesting and modern. Buffalo Bill writes his own story – she writes hers, too. She doesn’t accept the fake version.”
Directors Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis, finally able to relax after the first screening, found time to praise their colleague Francesco Sossai, whose gentle dramedy about endless nights of drinking and odd encounters, “The Last One for the Road,” was shown in the same section.
“We are big fans of that film. There’s a great new generation of young Italian directors, and they should have their space. I am very hopeful about that,” said Rigo de Righi, with Zoppis laughing: “And they are much younger than we are. We are already in our 40s!”
They also gushed about their actors, including Reilly.
“He’s a volcano of ideas. We just dreamed of working with John,” said Zoppis, with his co-director adding: “He played this character that’s larger than life and did it with so much irony and humanity.”
Already sold to Benelux, with other key territories being negotiated, “Heads or Tails?” might follow in the footsteps of such successes as “Gloria!” by Margherita Vicario, sold in more than 40 territories, “An Ode to Naples” by Trudie Styler, sold in almost 30 – including Disney + UK and Hulu US – and “Madly” by Paolo Genovese, sold to 45 territories.
Laura Samani’s “Un Anno di Scuola,” Roberta Torre’s “Christmas Song,” Leonardo di Costanzo’s “Elisa – I Wanted to Kill Her,” or doc “Tears for Firs” by Victor Kossakovsky are already looming on the horizon.
“Italian cinema needs exposure and visibility. It’s not just a question of business, but of transferring our identity and culture abroad. It’s our mission and it’s ambitious,” added Head of International Sales Fulvio Firrito, also mentioning Gabriele Salvatores’ historical epic “Naples to New York.”
But even established Italian maestros are paying more attention to the audience, added del Brocco.
“Cinema without an audience doesn’t exist – upcoming filmmakers have to understand this as well. They have to make films that arouse feelings and emotions. Without emotions, it’s difficult to bring people to the cinema.”
“Heads or Tails?”
