Inganni

Dino Campana was a poet. In our case, hardly anyone will know that, because you don't need to look for his name in the overviews of Italian literature that exist in Dutch. Dino Campana was a 'poète maudit', a stormy talent who in his time did not gain a foothold in literary circles. The woman with whom he had an equally tempestuous relationship, Sibilla Aleramo did get her name in literary reviews. lnganni tells the story of Dino Campana's life from the moment his passionate relationship with Aleramo collapses. He goes through a severe breakdown and, impoverished and disrespected by literary colleagues, ends up in a mental institution. He is barely 30 years old. Only in 1932 does he get out again. But at that point he is no longer alive... In the institution, he is supervised by a young psychiatrist who becomes fascinated by Campana's work and personality. He tries to penetrate the secret of Campana's creativity and also succeeds in introducing the work of this extraordinary man, hoping it will help Camapana regain his balance and self-confidence. But the relationship between doctor and patient is ambiguous and dangerous. The psychiatrist, for his part, tries to probe into the depths. Campana, on the other hand, alternately plays hide-and-seek and then painfully exposes himself. Gradually he retreats into a kind of delirium, a delirium in which the figure of Sibilla becomes one with that of his mother. The psychiatrist does not succeed in convincing Campana to leave the asylum, yet he awakens in him a certain zest for life and lifts, at least in part, something of the veil of creativity.

Inganni was one of the most highly rated films in competition at the 1986 Film Event, though unfortunately it did not win any prizes. The audience that attended the screening was unanimously impressed and this re-release is therefore a unique opportunity for those who missed it then to make up for the loss. lnganni is the work of a gifted filmmaker, whose latest, Donna d'Ombra, is also being presented this year.