Fistful of Flies

Fistful of Flies is about a 16-year-old girl who lives in Cider Gully, a soulless town in Australia where time seems to stand still. The girl's name is Maria but she insists on calling herself Mars. Her parents have already decided upon her future; she is going to be a housewife. But Maria greets her future husband with the motto: ''I will not get married''. As she starts discovering her own sexuality and oversteps the line of suitability drawn by her parents, her strictly catholic home and the town with all its curious neighbours are transformed into a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. When her father oversteps the line in his attempts to purge Mars of her impure thoughts, she decides to confront him. The stories about her mother, Grace, and her grandmother, Nonna, are intertwined with the story about Mars. Together, they represent three generations of strong women, who each in their own way fights for an identity. While Nonna curses marriage, Grace's efforts are directed towards keeping her family together; a tour de force doomed to failure. Years of abuse and oppression, together with the public scandals caused by Mars, are however slowly breaking her down. In addition to this, her daughter's casual attitude to her own body evokes Grace's own sexual frustrations. The walls she has built in order to retain all the anger and disappointment are at last subsiding. She finds the courage in her own and Mars' suffering, and stands up to defend her daughter as well as herself. Monica Pellizarri's first feature film is a story full of insight about teenage problems and the difficulties of growing up. She uses obvious symbols in order to visualize feelings, thoughts and the underlying threat which is constantly present: sexuality. Surreal interiors together with exteriors of the small town, invaded by a swarm of flies, strengthen the feeling of isolation, lack of communication and hopelessness that is hidden behind the white curtains of the suburban houses. The many-layered message retains the spectator's interest throughout the film. The plot is spiced with excellent acting and a bizarre, black humour that leaves behind a bittersweet taste that lasts well after the film has ended.

Premiärstatus
Skandinavisk premiär: Medverkande
Dina Panozzo, Tasma Walton, John Lucantonio: Producent
Julia Overton: Manus
Monica Pellizzari: Foto
Jane Castle: Musik
Felicity Fox: Talat språk
English, Italian