Spira Mirabilis

Was bedeutet Narration? In welchem Verhältnis steht sie zur Phantasie? Was treibt den Menschen an? Nur drei der Fragen, die diese Wunderspirale von Film auslösen kann. Er mäandert zwischen der Herstellung metallener Klangkörper, der Züchtung einer unsterblichen Qualle oder spirituellen Handlungen von Ureinwohnern Amerikas. D’Anolfi und Parenti auf der Höhe ihrer Kunst des assoziativen Dokumentierens eines menschlichen Strebens nach Unendlichkeit. Lose unterlegt mit dem Borges-Text „Der Unsterbliche“ wächst dieser Film mit einem präzisen Soundtrack über seine eigenen Grenzen hinaus in eine ätherische, rätselhafte Dimension. (Anna Katharina Laggner)

In Anwesenheit von Massimo D’Anolfi & Martina Parenti.

Opening with French actor Marina Vlady reciting excerpts from Jorge Luis Borges’ short story “El inmortal” in an abandoned theatre, SPIRA MIRABILIS unfolds as a lyrical meditation on the eternal theme of immortality—humanity’s enduring quest to transcend its own natural limit. Presented through a series of seemingly unrelated vignettes and devoid of overarching narration, the film gradually reveals its philosophical thread: a Japanese marine biologist studies the so-called “immortal jellyfish”; Native American elders safeguard spiritual traditions; Milanese artisans restore sacred statues; and two Swiss musician-inventors craft ethereal instruments. Anchored in their devotion to observational detail, these moments form a contemplative collage of evocative imagery and soundscapes, resonating across different cultures and disciplines. The boundaries between science, art and spirituality dissolve into a seamless, unified whole. Directed by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti—who both also oversaw sound, editing, cinematography and production—this graceful, spiralling work is at once a sensorial journey and a profound inquiry into humanity’s obsession with the eternal. (Hyun Jin Cho)

Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti (Auswahl): I PROMESSI SPOSI (2007), GRANDI SPERANZE (2009), IL CASTELLO (2011), MATERIA OSCURA (2013), L’INFINITA FABBRICA DEL DUOMO (2015), SPIRA MIRABILIS (2016), BLU (2018, K), GUERRA E PACE (2020), UNA GIORNATA NELL’ARCHIVIO DI PIERO BOTTONI (2022, K), BESTIARI, ERBARI, LAPIDARI (2024)