Martin Eden
(Italy, France / 2019 / Directed by Pietro Marcello)
The young and destitute proletarian, Martin (Luca Marinelli), meets Elena (Jessica Cressy). He declares to her that he wants to become a writer despite not having an education and proceeds to self-teach his way to literary fame. Yet his newfound path leads to its own suffering as the young author stands alone against the world.
Replicating a style that feels plucked from classic Italian cinema of the 1970s, director Pietro Marcello brings to life a sumptuously filmed version of Jack London’s semi-autobiographical novel and captures a passionate performance from Marinelli. Mixing in historical footage and shot in Super 16mm, the movie depicts a non-distinct modern Italy not obviously rooted in any particular time. Marcello has also made documentaries in Italy focused on working class and marginalized people, which inform the narrative and its critique of simplistic prescriptions toward the eradication of poverty.
