Experiencing Interruptions?

GARBAGE (EN)

The autumn of the park is the autumn of life for a man tested by fate.

As nature sheds its leaves, carpetting the ground in rust and gold, the man sits in solitude upon a secluded bench. To him, the crunch of dry leaves is no melody; it is merely the sound of something dying.

He was raised amidst the pangs of hunger and the shards of a stolen childhood in Villa 31—one of Argentina’s villas miserias—where poverty ran so deep that even refuse was a dreamt-of treasure. Today, he leads a life of comfort, yet he has forged an armour of cynicism to shield himself from a world that has always failed him; a world he now despises for its lack of values and its habit of waste.

The grey of his gaze is suddenly broken by the sight of a young girl who seems crafted from light and wind. She does not merely walk; she dances through the avenues, beholding every leaf as if it were a jewel.

His autumn is a monotone; hers is an explosion of colour. She is vibrant, as if painted in warm watercolours and fluid lines; he is defined by angular strokes, desaturated tones, and ghosts that seem to weigh physically upon his shoulders.

The girl sits beside him and, with a vitality that borders on the irritating, attempts to show him the beauty of nature and of life. But the man’s heart is a barren land. For every ray of sunlight she offers, he counters with the shadow of a past betrayal or the weight of a former deprivation.

They never truly look at one another; each speaks with eyes fixed on the void before them. Only for a fleeting moment do their eyes meet. It feels like a small breach in the walls of his heart... a faint smile flickering in contrast to her crystalline laughter.

But his negativity is a dense fog that begins, slowly, to dim even the girl's colours. Despite his bitterness, she continues to radiate light until the friction between them becomes unbearable.

The girl vanishes, leaving the man alone as grief begins to wash away all the colours she had painted around him. He is left in the monochromatic silence of one who has suffered too much to ever trust in beauty again.

  • Giulia Morlacchi
    Director
  • Giulia Morlacchi
    Writer
  • Giulia Morlacchi
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 13, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    digitale
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Giulia Morlacchi

Giulia Morlacchi was born and raised in the Milan area. She holds a degree in Law and a postgraduate diploma from the School of Specialisation for Legal Practice.

A versatile Digital Creator, researcher, and educator, Giulia specialises in the practical application of digital technologies. Her expertise spans Generative AI, the Metaverse, and Extended Reality (including Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Holograms).

She is also a dedicated Coach Maker, working within schools to introduce students to the nuances of cinematic language. As an accomplished Filmmaker and Songwriter, she writes, directs, and produces animated short films using a variety of techniques, often composing and performing her own original soundtracks.

Recently, Giulia has integrated Artificial Intelligence into her filmmaking process, leveraging its generative potential to create visuals, soundscapes, and advanced special effects.

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Director Statement

DIRECTOR'S NOTES
The short film employs flashback as an almost sensory directorial device, serving to render the invisible gravity of grief tangible. To support the man’s narrative, these flashbacks transform trauma into a living entity that interacts with the park’s environment. The directorial technique used is that of partial superposition: the man never looks at the girl (save for a single instance). He constantly averts his gaze, as if denying himself any possibility of contact.
Within blurred portals, he revisits the painful milestones and figures of a betrayed childhood. Here, pain is neither elsewhere nor in the past; it is present, distorting current reality. The flashback, acting as a visual parasite, reveals that the man does not see the girl for who she is, but instead projects the shadows of his own life onto her. The objective is for the spectator to feel not irritation at his cynicism, but a sense of vertigo. Through these invasive, harrowing flashbacks, we sense that the girl’s positivity is not merely optimism, but a threat to the emotional stability of a man who has learned to survive only by remaining in the dark. The man’s sonic environment is dominated by original scores inspired by Argentine Tango, understood not just as music, but as a philosophy of disenchantment and nostalgia. The music suggests that his negativity is not mere existential weariness, but deep-seated trauma. The tango is more than just his soundtrack; it is the scent of tobacco, alcohol, and the desperation of the "unnameable place" where his mother struggled to survive. This is the birthplace of his tango: a forced embrace, an economic transaction—physical contact that is not love, but necessity.
In terms of direction, the dialogue between the man and the girl becomes a kind of invisible tango. She attempts to lead with the light, brisk rhythm of a milonga, but he "breaks" the tempo, imposing the somber, dramatic slowness of a muffled tango. The musical theme explains that the man cannot accept her optimism because his internal rhythm is set to a frequency of proud sorrow—the cadence of one who has learned to find dignity only in their own suffering. The sound of the bandoneón is intrinsically linked to human breath, underscoring the man’s weary struggle to exist. The instrument seems to weep; every jarring note accompanies his rejection of the girl, reframing his negativity not as an act of malice, but as a lament of the soul.