Addictions
Peter: a narcissistic lawyer who found mechanical happiness in power, money, and sex.
Betsy: a depressed young woman smashed by fast paced, individualistic society, who passes the time getting
high and being miserable.
Annette: a want-to-be artist who is too scared to challenge herself. She spends days and nights in front of screens.
They are mid-class white people in their late 20s, in the process of decay of their life, but in different stages.
All begin their New York City day as usual, nothing but surviving, but Betsy can't bear this non-living anymore.
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Emanuele MichettiDirectorFrammenti
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Emanuele MichettiWriterLove in the City
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Chantal AkermanWriterA Couch in New York (1996) - Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels (1975) - The Captive (2000)
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Dana RiveccioProducer
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Fabian BolinKey CastEasy Money, Easy Money II
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Kaitlin MagowanKey Cast
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Emily SeymourKey CastOnly Daughter
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Koshi KiyokawaCinematographyErased, Fair Market Value, 411, commecials for Panasonic, Toyota, Coca Cola, Nissan, Nivea, Canon, Sony, Playstation...
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Quirky, Art House & International
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Completion Date:August 26, 2016
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Production Budget:25,000 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital HD 2K
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Aspect Ratio:2.39:1
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal
Canada
August 28, 2016
World Premiere -
Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival
Hong Kong -
Manhattan Film ShortsNew York
United States -
Blow Up, International Arthouse Film FestChicago
United States
Nomination Best Actress (Kaitlin Magowan) -
Move Me Productions Short Film Festival
Belgium -
Cinema New YorkNew York
United States -
Golden Door International Film FestivalJersey City, New Jersey
United States
October 8, 2017 -
SENE Film, Music & Arts FestivalProvidence, RI
United States
April 28, 2017
Best Cinematography -
Long Island International Film ExpoLong Island, New York
United States
July 18, 2017 -
European Cinematography AwardsWarsaw
Poland
Award-winning Italian filmmaker, he has produced narrative films, documentaries, music videos and video art projects. He mainly focuses on social issues such as mental illness, discrimination, equality between men and women, and minorities. His stories are mostly inspired by philosophical theories by Martin Heidegger, and are about loneliness and alienation in modern times. His characters are people who are rejected by modern society and have internal struggles. In most of his films, dialogue is pared to the bone, if not inexistent, in order to highlight characters' isolation and focus on their behavior.
His films have been screened at festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Turin Film festival, and Urbanworld Film Festival.
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, he currently resides in New York City.
My new film, Addictions had its world premiere last month at the prestigious Montreal World Film Festival. The script has the signature of Chantal Akerman (Berlin Film Festival, Cannes, Venice...) as collaborating writer. She was a true inspiration.
Communicating feelings and stories, using creative images, is something that I feel I need to do. I mainly focus on real life inspired stories in which the characters are not able to pursue their happiness. They are depicted as people who are rejected by modern society and have internal struggles. In most of my films, dialogue is pared to the bone, if not inexistent, in order to highlight characters' isolation and focus on their behavior.
The film is the first of the “Trilogy of ᴎ” where the main subjects are loneliness and alienation. It takes the cue from philosophical theories by Martin Heidegger. The person realizes itself as unique individual in the knowledge of a painful loneliness, due to the inability to find a meaning in life and in engagement with others. This seclusion is reinforced by the capitalistic nihilism of the post-modern era: fast paced society, technology, worsens the way people relate to each other. However, a person possesses a primordial instinct to make connections and craves a reason to exist in this world.
Addictions examines three different stages of the interplay between loneliness and coping. It questions the devolvement of personal connections, due to technology, and fast paced, greedy society. People who don't fit in, find themselves isolated, craving for human connection.
Annette is at the beginning of the stage. She is still ingenue and transparent and has some little hope toward humans. Peter is in denial: to survive, he erased his personalty in favor to a mechanical happiness, made of power, money, and sex. He became a product of this society: successful, wealthy, greedy, broken. Betsy is at the end of her rope. She seems to have given up in life, surrendering everything/one she loves. All she needs is some little sympathy from someone. This could make a difference, giving her the strength to survive and, maybe, to have a better life.