The Walls of Bergamo

In the first few months of 2020, huge swathes of Northern Italy were hit by a new virus. The town of Bergamo and its province was to become the epicentre of this pandemic. We see hospitals on the brink of collapse, distraught families and coffins being carried away by military convoy. And this is only the beginning of Stefano Savona’s heartbreakingly detailed and powerful new film. Following the abyss of the darkest days comes an even greater challenge: grieving. People meet to try to understand what has happened and overcome their fear and their pain. Nothing is as it was before and our perception of what we are used to calling life and death has completely changed. Digging into the memory of Bergamo’s recent and not-so-recent past, Savona questions the very notion of documentary cinema and asks: How should he film this interrupted cycle of life and death? How should he accompany survivors as they try to find a new place the world? (Berlinale)