Small Body

2022 1h 29m IT

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 62

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young woman in early-1900s Italy searches for a mystical sanctuary where her stillborn child can be brought back to life long enough to be baptized.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Celeste Cescutti
Agata
Ondina Quadri
Lince
Marco Geromin
Saggio Ignac
Giacomina Dereani
Brigantessa Lia
Anna Pia Bernardis
Eremita del santuario
Angelo Mattiussi
Operaio del carro
Luca Sera
Prete dell'isola
Teresa Cappellari
Curatrice Marla

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Laura Samani
Writers: Laura Samani, Marco Borromei, Elisa Dondi
Languages: Italian
Countries: France, Italy, Slovenia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Slovenia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Laura Samani, shot by Mitja Ličen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Fredrika Stahl. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chiara Dainese shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Celeste Cescutti and Ondina Quadri and Marco Geromin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt13926310 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Laura Samani directs. Mitja Ličen behind the camera. Fredrika Stahl scores. Chiara Dainese cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Italy, Slovenia. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 4 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: France, Italy, Slovenia.
4Directed by Laura Samani, shot by Mitja Ličen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Fredrika Stahl. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Chiara Dainese shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Celeste Cescutti and Ondina Quadri and Marco Geromin carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt13926310 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 62 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mitja Ličen
Original score: Fredrika Stahl
Editing: Chiara Dainese
Production design: Rachele Meliadò
Makeup / hair: Lucia Patullo
VFX supervisor: Cyrille Bonjean
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
IMDB: Small Body (2022)

Awards

European Film Award for European Discovery of the Year

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Laura Samani

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-12
★ 7/10
At the start of the 20th century, the young "Agata" (Celeste Cescutti) has a difficult pregnancy that results in the birth of a child that doesn't survive long enough to be baptised. She'd distraught. Not just that she has lost her daughter, but that her child has lost it's chance of eternal peace in Heaven. Then she hears of a remote church far to the north where it is rumoured that they can resurrect the dead for just long enough to perform the ceremony. With her baby in a box and the clothes on her back, she sets off alone and ill provisioned for the trek. Along the way she encounters "Lynx" (Ondina Quadri) who offers to guide her but who is really just part of a lawless band of bandits who decide she'd be useful as a wet nurse! Luckily, they too are set upon and both are freed to continue their journey as the winter closes in and conditions become physically and psychologically desperate. Needless to say, there's not a great deal of trust between these two women but to survive they need to co-operate and maybe there's a chance of salvation for everyone. This is quite a touching story of superstition, certainly, but it also demonstrates the lengths to which a mother will go for her child - even when it lives no more. Cescutti works well delivering that determined and vulnerable role and both her and Quadri take this simple story from auteur Laura Samani and imbue it with quite powerful characterisations. There's not a great deal of dialogue but what there is, partnered with Fredrika Stahl's score, offers us a quest of near biblical proportions that is well worth a watch.

Production companies