Afraid of the Dark (Bruises)

A visceral and energetic first feature film about a young woman who packs up her flat, leaves her job in Romania, and travels to a small town in Northern Italy to try and locate her mother, who she has not seen in nearly a decade. Like a cuckoo in a nest, the young girl manages to inveigle her way, without much explanation, into the home of a family who have a daughter of a similar age, who works in the local Fiat factory. Gradually the leading character, while tracking down her mother (for a mixture of reunion, recrimination and revenge) starts to become part of her host Italian family’s life; also acting as a carer for the elderly grandmother. Afraid of the Dark (Bruises) is a real attempt to give a slice of – particularly young people’s – life in an unfashionable part of Italy; neither wealthy nor glamorous. With an inventive story and a raw, edgy feel (embellished by bursts of Joy Division on the soundtrack), this is a very promising debut from filmmaker Massimo Coppola, and is produced by Indigo (the group behind all of Paolo Sorrentino’s work): here once again demonstrating a real flair for finding new talent. —Adrian Wootton