Film Commission Torino Piemonte

The Cure is a psychological thriller without a traditional antagonist, presenting a brutal and anti-rhetorical depiction of an act of love and redemption. At its center is a mother-son relationship, tainted by years of misunderstanding and estrangement, which is abruptly confronted in a violent and authoritarian manner. Heroin detoxification, the very "Cure" of the title, serves merely as a pretext to pit two characters against each other who embody the ultimate universal drama, where love and hate are so deeply intertwined that they ignite a visceral and primordial conflict. This film reflects on selfishness and abandonment, drawing from the personal experiences of its creator and director, Giotto Barbieri, who, like the protagonist Sebastian, was abandoned by his mother at a young age. The film is the result of years of reflection, analysis, and personal development. Giotto’s storytelling power lies in his ability to internalize the characters so deeply that he crafts a raw and intense narrative, tragically authentic in its simplicity and stripped of any narrative or formal artifices. Maria’s relentless effort to save her son highlights her profound desire to redeem herself for the pain she caused Sebastian in the past. But there’s more to it. Maria grapples with an unspeakable thought, the true source of her guilt: she never wanted to be a mother. The child she never wished for forced her to abandon the life she had chosen. Maria is a savior; she feels compelled to help others, often taking their place and thus undermining their ability to act, think, and manage independently. This is her sole worldview: having witnessed and faced the world's great tragedies through her humanitarian work with Doctors Without Borders, Maria has raised her threshold for recognizing others’ pain to extreme levels. Only tragedies that straddle the line between life and death are worthy of her attention. Every social and relational nuance becomes insignificant, and only when Sebastian's struggle escalates into the most devastating of addictions does Maria’s interest awaken. This is the spark that ignites her actions, through which she reclaims her role as a mother.

Through her actions, Maria seeks to grant Sebastian a "Second Birth": through the physical suffering that Maria considers the only significant form of expression, Sebastian can be reborn. And through the manipulation of life, a new birth demands a new Mother: through her act of salvation and devotion, Maria believes she can erase the past, start afresh, and have a second chance to truly be a mother. The Cure is a challenging narrative: a harsh film that offers no reassurances. Its characters are pushed to their limits, and through their actions, we uncover deep psychological nuances, the roots of relational distortions, and unspoken selfishness and grudges. It is a film about forgiveness achieved through misguided means. A taut thriller where the viewer's empathy oscillates between victim and perpetrator, prompting reflections on our perception of pain in all its forms and manifestations.