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There are times when a parent has to do whatever it takes to get by, take whatever job, to ensure a life for themselves and their child. Sometimes fate lends a hand and life finds a way; other times, you have to make your own luck. Screened at Slamdance Film Festival this year and winner of the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize, L’Incidente (The Accident) is an Italian dramatic comedy from Giuseppe Garau that’s intimate, engaging, and a bold step into the world of fictional narrative features.
A Mother’s Misfortune
Marcella (Giulia Mazzarino) is a working mother, going through a separation and twenty minutes late to pick up her daughter from school. She speeds down the street, on the phone with her father-in-law, who fires her. Distracted, they get into a car accident. Later, she buys a tow truck, with an agreement to pay €1000 a week for fifteen weeks. Easy enough in a large city, right? Wrong.
source: Storia del Fantasma
In addition to the struggles of starting a new career, Marcella struggles to find any customers. Usually they have insurance, or another tow truck driver, or “rescuer” as they’re called, got there first. She hands out flyers to citizens, offering €50 to anyone who calls in an accident that leads to successful business, only for others to catch wind of it and threaten her. When their threats are made good, again she must start from scratch, and the moment an opportunity to control her destiny appears. She seizes it, and with that the switch flips with unexpected consequences.
A Delightful Debut
Written and directed by Garau, typically known for documentaries and short films, his feature-length debut shows the stylistic and cinematic decisions of a filmmaker certain of his vision. Shot on 16mm film, the aspect ratio enhances the intimacy of the cinematography. In the ultra-lean 66-minute runtime of The Accident, we rarely leave the POV of the passenger seat, whether it be in the truck or a car she’s towing, often perched on Marcella’s shoulder as the story unfolds. Every move she makes, for better or worse, we’re so close that we couldn’t look away if we tried.
source: Storia del Fantasma
The Accident is a film about a mother struggling to do what’s right for her and her daughter, to succeed in an unfamiliar and cynical world by any means necessary. Mazzarino plays Marcella with a humble tenacity, even in the face(s) of extreme adversity, and the coolness of a woman so certain that she will succeed while struggling with the morality of her decisions. A dramatic comedy with emphasis on dramatic, it’s a must-watch film driven by its performances and aesthetic.
Check out more of our Slamdance coverage here.
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