Fedeli alla linea, quasi

In Venice, hidden between the laundry hung out to dry and a small altar with an image of Jesus, there is a legendary section of the Italian party Rifondazione comunista. Gianni, Saverio and Corrado have met their daily since 1973, the year the local branch of the communist party was formed. And day after day, things have happened over the years: the wall has fallen, the Soviet Union has crumbled, the party has split, and now there is little political discussion, leaving room for chatting and telling anecdotes. But when the nearby branch of the Ds party usurps the old symbols or when the Lega Nord holds a rally close by, the old flame lights up again and their simplicity turns to politics once more.

“I forced myself to be impartial as I filmed this documentary about the party branch. What fascinated me were the people, not the fact that they were communists, but their humanity, their habits, the way they spend their time, chatting amongst friends, making fun of each other, the melancholy and the sweetness. In filming them, I wanted to show real people, not clichés. I hope I was successful.”