Private Project

PENTIMENTO

Director and artist Loredana Gasparotto brings to life a raw and timeless story of the pursuit of love and happiness in an unforgiving and brutal world, in her new film, “Pentimento.”
This uniquely crafted tale centers around Sofia, a beautiful Romanian immigrant who leaves behind an checkered past as an erotic dancer in Romania to realize her American dream of becoming a singer in New York City. Burdened with high rents, low wages and the scant opportunities afforded anyone with illegal immigration status, Sofia’s hopes for success dim with each passing day. Then she meets a handsome young artist named Connor. Connor himself is a misfit, willfully turning away from his wealthy family to pursue his own dream of becoming a serious artist. Passions ignite quickly when the two collide; sharing their hardships, as well as their commitment to live their dreams. Meanwhile, Connor's politically-charged parents feel so threatened by this “outsider” and the harm she could unwittingly wreck upon their son and family, they attempt to dispose of her. As the walls close in, Connor and Sofia’s strength will be tested, as will their commitment to their creatively and love.
“Pentimento” is a dark, Romeo and Juliet-style tale that strikes a balance between coincidence, surprise and melodrama. At times colorful and at other times transcendentally silly, the film confronts head-on the fears that compel the 11 million illegal US immigrants and the 323 million American Citizens in our violent and volatile world.

  • Loredana Gasparotto
    Director
    Tainted, Hamartia
  • Loredana Gasparotto
    Writer
  • Loredana Gasparotto, Charles Ricciardi, Dennis Valle
    Producer
  • Laura Pellegrini, Trevor Swann
    Key Cast
  • Gian Franco Morini
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 14, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Best NY Feature Film at the NYCIFF

    United States
    March 8, 2018
    Official selection
Director Biography - Loredana Gasparotto

Loredana Gasparotto was born in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy. As a child and teenager she performed in modern dance and theater productions and earned a B. A. in Performing Arts in Milan.
After winning a European Union scholarship and studying Musical Theater in Bologna, she moved to New York. There she attended the Lee Strasberg Institute and the Susan Slavin Actors and Singers Academy. She gained experience performing in a variety of musical and theater productions prior to deciding it was time to shift from performing other people’s work to creating her own.
She went on earning a BFA with concentration in film at the New Jersey City University under the mentorship of professor and renown artist Roddy Bogawa. She created short documentaries, videos and two short films: Tainted and Hamartia. Tainted is an urban fairy tale which combines the mythology of Alice in Wonderland with the gritty realism of New York City.
Hamartia is an experimental, psychological thriller, which explores the implications of romantic relationships and fantasies.
Loredana has recently completed her first feature film, Pentimento which she wrote and produced as well.
Pentimento portrays the surreal and nightmarish journey of a modern day illegal immigrant in Brooklyn, NY. The film combines some of Loredana's illegal immigration memories with her love of art and surrealism.
Loredana is currently submitting her third feature film "Wild Swans" to screenwriting competitions and preparing the film's pitch for Hollywood film studios. The film loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "Wild Swans" is a horror fairy tale about a group of deformed children and a schizophrenic, albino school teacher, who saves from a tragic fate.

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Director Statement

Pentimento, my first feature length work, is a fictionalized account of my experience as an immigrant in New York at a critical juncture in my life. Pentimento explores the discoveries, problems, and issues of identity and self-image that an individual faces as they transition from one stage in life to the next. As a story of immigration, the film uncovers how this shift in reality forces individuals to examine, redefine and reinvent themselves. It reveals the process one goes through as they encounter the diverse strata of New York society, from the very wealthy to the destitute, from those who are warm and giving, to those who are criminal. Pentimento exposes how New York isn’t just an idyllic cosmopolitan city seen in Tv shows and commercial movies. It’s a very tough city and it is hard to survive in it. Yet, in the end it does offer one the freedom to pursue their dreams.
Pentimento emphasizes the idea that it is exactly that freedom that attracts generation after generation from all over the world to leave everything they have for the unknown opportunities that New York City has to offer. As with the classic timeless tales of immigration, these stories can reach a large number of people with that shared experience. The script for Pentimento is inspired by Leos Carax’s The Lovers on The Bridge as well as Wong Kar-Wai’s and Park Chan-Wook’s visual and narrative styles.

Through its characters Pentimento explores the lengths that they are willing to go to in order to survive and preserve their desires. As Sofia, the main character in Pentimento, struggles to pursue her dreams and create a new life in New York, so to does Connor, the American artist, struggle to deflect the expectations of his family and find his path as an artist. Additionally, the environment of New York City also plays an important role in Pentimento. It embodies the diversity, conflict, and endurance of the main characters involved in the film. Therefore, the city also plays a decisive role as a character and as a setting. There could be no better location for Pentimento. In sum, these elements introduce the themes of integrity, sacrifice and the search for love and happiness. Sophia and Connor are archetypal portrayals of two modern heroes and lovers who are unafraid to take the chance to find themselves in an often-challenging backdrop of NYC. They are characters who are an inspiration others–they transcend their circumstances, and by doing so, inspire others to have hope and not give up their dreams.