I promessi sposi

“Italy is made of paper and red tape.” Indeed, matrimony is not simply a union between two people who wish to recognise their mutual devotion—it involves both a bureaucratic process and a liaison with the Church. Through the lens of Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti, the institution of marriage—nearly always a matter of law and religion alike—here acquires an absurdist quality. In I PROMESSI SPOSI, the filmmakers observe partners preparing their nuptials, including the navigation of administrative nightmares, language barriers and international law. Among the betrothed, we meet a Chinese couple who desperately need an interpreter; an Italian man who discovers the difference between acknowledgement, legitimation and adoption of a child out of wedlock; and a pair from Pescara and America who probe the possibility of a civil ceremony in a restaurant garden. Woven across the film is the curriculum of a prenuptial course led by Don Emilio, a charismatic Catholic priest instructing soon-to-be-weds on their obligations to God and each other through lectures, guest speakers and bizarre instructional videos. A delightful, striking debut feature, D’Anolfi and Parenti reveal that neither side of marriage is an easy feat. (Winnie Wang)

In the presence of Massimo D’Anolfi & Martina Parenti.

Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti: 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)