Zita Sempri is a gorgeous, beautiful film by Stefania Spampinato about the bond between a mother and her child. An unbelievably touching and gentle film that soaks you in sun-kissed poignancy.
Through letters between mother and daughter, the female experience is dismantled across generations.
What we find out later in Zita Sempri is how being a mother changes you. As Stefania reveals in her letters to Lorenza, how was she able to be so different as a parent in comparison to her grandmother? Where that woman was stricter and more demanding, Lorenza was softer and more empathic to seeing her daughter succeed and not be limited by things in her life. It is a truth that rings true for many. We see entirely different parenting styles between generations, and by giving your child the love and positive reinforcement to try things and explore, then we get wonderfully affectionate children like Stefania.
It is difficult not to get emotional when watching Zita Sempri, especially if you are a child who has lost one or both parents. An emptiness washes over you that you cannot explain. You yearn for things like letters from that person, a memory of how they felt about you, about life. You are desperate to hear or see those thoughts once they are gone. It is almost an unexplainable feeling, yet Spampinato does wonders here in conveying that.
Her decision to really lure the audience into the story’s emotions with the home video-styled recordings of her childhood allows the great narration to shine. It feels like we are watching the story of a daughter who was given nothing but affection and enforcement. Couple this with Leco Moura’s loose cinematography, and Zita Sempri becomes a very freeing film. You become easily captivated by its ease as the narration and music join up to take you away.
Once we finally cut to Lorenza, though, we see that not all is as well on her side, at least health-wise. Stefania talks about walking around their town together, yet as Lorenza tries to make it up the steps, she is struggling. She has given what she can so her daughter can succeed in her dreams, and with her not there, her energy wains. This is not to say that there is regret on Lorenza’s side; she explicitly states how what she did as a mother was to ensure this type of future for her daughter. That she should grab it and let the journey take her where ever it does.
As you listen to Lorenza’s words in that final letter, you realise they are not just for Stefania but all daughters. You could do far worse as a person to heed them. One of the strengths of Zita Sempri is in the outstanding writing from Fabrizio Carlo Muscia and Meghann Plunkett. The letters glide through the 11-minute film so well.
Zita Sempri is a film that surprises you with how honest it is. Not just a letter between two specific people, as mentioned; it is a letter to all mothers and daughters – an absolute gem of a short film.
★★★★★
The 19th HollyShorts Film Festival is running between 10th – 20th August with in person and digital screenings available through the 10th to 27th August.
For more information go to www.hollyshorts.com
Coverage of HollyShorts Film Festival 2023:
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