First prize Bellisario.mp4

CONFIDENT, BUT STILL INSECURE

This is Marta

a cheerful, determined, sunny girl

and a great sense of humour

with a strong and loveable character.

Always on the move.

Marta is very upbeat, lively

She's really determined,

which comes across in her work.

The protagonist seemed

not to take herself too seriously,

always smiling.

She also takes everything in her stride.

I would also like to have the strength

to carry on, no matter what.

She’s very lovable and

you can mostly see this in her work -

she concentrates all of her energy

and enthusiasm into it.

Her future is tainted by a rare genetic disease

which forces her to live life

in the fear that she won’t be able

to fully enjoy the time she has left.

So, I think maybe the main theme of the film

in my opinion

was to confront her illness

not in the face of death

but in that of life,

as long as it may last - you know?

I really related to this because in my life

I have also found myself in many situations

where I have looked at the glass half full.

She knows that she is sick

but she doesn’t dwell on the bad,

instead she enjoys her life anyway.

It seemed to me that it was dealt with rather light-heartedly

I mean that they didn’t focus too much on her illness,

and rightfully so.

So at points it takes more of a back seat

in the story.

Thank god for friends!

Jacopo isn’t fashionable -

Jacopo is fashion itself.

Since he was little his mission was clear to him:

fighting bad taste.

If you call her "Fede"

she’ll headbutt you.

She came out when she was 13

“So, I’m going out with Anna…”

The relationship between Marta and her two friends

really touched me in the sense that,

despite their quirks,

they always stood by their friend in need.

Her friends were true friends,

who gave up everything to live with her.

I think that they experienced true friendship,

which becomes most apparent

when they want to share her times of pain.

It is one of the first Italian films

in which homosexuality

is talked about without prejudice.

Her friends become her new parents.

At first she looked for love like it was a game, a hobby,

but then she met Arturo.

Handsome, determined and irresistibly charming,

and with him, what seemed to be a game quickly became love.

Their story is very beautiful.

She isn’t beautiful, isn’t rich, she is nothing special,

but there is something about her, something almost magical,

that made him fall in love with her.

But is Marta actually a really strong and confident girl?

Well not really.

Soon her biggest two insecurities come to light.

You know those stories you tell children?

Like the one where an ugly duckling turns into a swan,

or where caterpillars turn into butterflies?

Well,

in the end

I am still a caterpillar.

These insecurities cause her to push her true love away.

The truth is that you’re in love with me,

but I’m not.

Usually confidence hides a lot of insecurities.

In my opinion her insecurities lie mainly in her illness

and this becomes clear when she leaves Arturo.

Being insecure is a problem that all young people face,

especially in this stage of life, and

I often find myself in the same situation.

I saw myself in her a bit, in the sense that

in those days I was also really insecure for other reasons.

And sometimes even now, so yes,

it’s definitely something I can relate to.

But thanks to her friends,

she reflects on and understands the mistake she made.

I didn’t want for you to feel forced

to stay with me just because I am ill.

Because you decide for everyone, right?

I am only trying to make things easier for you,

the doctor just told me that my condition is quickly getting worse.

I could be gone, just as we get to the best part.