Private Project

The Bull and the Tamer

The rite of carnival in Escalaplano, Sardinia between poetic vision, insight into tradition and anthropological analysis.
It is said that during the night some men would turn into bulls and would approach the house of the people that were to die that night, bellowing. The half-man and half-bull creature - "su boi" - runs wildly through the streets of the town, gores people and his tamer to instil fear and throws himself on the ground bellowing.
He faces the calming figure of "su domadori" who holds him back, jabs him and hits him with a whip. The tamer is a sort of sorcerer who performs a very powerful therapeutic ritual called "s'imbruxiadura"
which consists in guiding the bull into a circle forcing him to roll on the ground in order to let the Earth absorb his negative forces. The tamer takes off the headgear from the taurine figure making him symbolically regain the human appearance with his return to humanity.

The documentary comes to life from the memories of the elderly, sometimes they are clear, other times they touch a soft and emotionally charged reminiscence.
The documentary unfolds between these two narrative plans, the desire to make known some facts of the Sardinian tradition and at the same time to tell - through images - what the memories embrace: emotions, fairy tales... a remembrance, sometimes faded, which leaves a strong impression.
The incipit describes the soul of the documentary.
It is a story of roads that were lost and then rediscovered.
Told as a fairy tale, as a mystery, a magic,
told with the irony of the carnival.
A folk tale that has become a tradition.
It is and continues to be a search for the human soul
and its many nuances.

  • Francesco Fadda
    Director
  • Francesco Fadda
    Writer
  • ViciWorlLux di Ezio Pascucci
    Producer
  • Marco Prasciolu
    Key Cast
    "The Bull"
  • Nicholas Meloni
    Key Cast
    "The Bull"
  • Daniele Prasciolu
    Key Cast
    "The Bull"
  • Edoardo Congiu
    Key Cast
    "The Bull"
  • Michele Pisanu
    Key Cast
    "The Bull"
  • Graziano Aresu
    Key Cast
    "The Tamer"
  • Marco Leoni
    Key Cast
    "The Tamer"
  • Christian Antonio Sulis
    Key Cast
    "The Tamer"
  • Virgilio Prasciolu
    Key Cast
    "Interviewed old man"
  • Carlo Cucca
    Key Cast
    "Interviewed old man"
  • Gina Carta
    Key Cast
    "Interviewed old woman"
  • Lorenzo Sulis
    Key Cast
    "Interviewed boy"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Su Boi e su Domadori
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    28 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 22, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Francesco Fadda

He worked for RAI, the Italian public service television, cooperating on documentaries as DOP and editor. “Il Bue e il Domatore” is the first piece he made as a director taking care also of photography, script and editing.

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