As It Is
COSÌ COM'È stages the director’s family in an “autofiction”: a worried mother, a sick father, and a disillusioned son – all victims of poor communication and the difficulties of understanding one another. The film begins with fragments of family videos and shifts into the present, which we experience from the parents’ point of view.
Cast
- Emilia
- Emilia Pisano
- Francesco
- Francesco Scarpelli
- Antonello
- Antonello Scarpelli
- Lena
- Janina Fautz
- Marco
- Claudio Caiolo
As It Is
Antonello Scarpelli
- Fiction
- Production Country / Year
- Germany, Italy 2024
- Language
- it., dt., engl. OF m. dt. UT
- Format
- DCP, Color, 84min
1.78:1 (16:9), Discrete 5.1
- Original Title
- Così Com'è
Director & Crew
Antonello Scarpelli
Born in 1988 in Cosenza/Italy. Studied Art Graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and Film Directing at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Active as a director.
Filmography
| 2011 | Peppino | Kurzfilm | |
| 2017 | Tarda estate | Spielfilm | |
| 2025 | Così com'è | Spielfilm | 2025 |
“I left my home in Calabria to study directing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome and later at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, where I have lived for 12 years. The distance from my parents created a space of unspoken things in our relationship. They often hid illnesses and problems from me, and I concealed my own financial and mental struggles, too. Their visits to Cologne unsettled me and made me feel unprepared for the future. This distant but intense connection we had during these meetings offered the potential for a cinematic narrative.
The development of COSÌ COM'È was a process of coming closer and growing, and it enabled me to tell our story from their perspective. The film, made in collaboration with my parents, gave us the opportunity to address our fears authentically. Through guided improvisations, we were able to evoke moments of great truthfulness with emotional impact.”
- Writer
- Antonello Scarpelli
- Director of Photography
- Stefania Bona
- Editor
- Pierpaolo Filomeno
- Production Designer
- Svenja Matthes
- Costume Designer
- Nina Brettschneider
- Katja Schweiggl
- Sound
- Michael Arens
- Sound Designer
- Emil Klotzsch
- Producer
- Ingmar Trost
- Roberto Cavallini
- Thomas Menghin
- Wilfried Gufler