With its unlimited possibilities, the world is a fascinating place yet, for the same reason, it can also be a source of anxiety. And this is the realisation of young Andrea, who is hesitantly contemplating his future. Partly because he is at a loss, and partly out of curiosity, he registers at a large monastery where young men are trained and brought up to become priests. The noviciate is extensive and demanding, the men have to undergo difficult spiritual exercises: application, mental concentration and profound self-reflection are attained through weeks of training in absolute silence. Andrea continues to immerse himself more and more in this strange exalted and ascetic environment, although he discovers that many of his fundamental doubts about life have not remained outside the walls of the monastery. He starts thinking of his escape, particularly when some of the novices, in moments of weakness, express their various misgivings… The film takes the form of a kind of revelation, an invitation for spiritual liberation and meditation. –KVIFF
Saverio Costanzo (born 1975, Romе). He studied sociology in Rome and New York. He started with documentary series about daily life, Coffee Milleluci in New York. It was the first Italian example of documentary series on the Internet. In 2000, Costanzo wrote, filmed, directed and edited six episodes of a new documentary drama, The Red Room. It won a special mention of the critics at the international festival in Turin. Private is his first feature film which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno IFF in 2004 and was sold in 25 countries. In 2006 he made his second feature film, In Memory of Me, shot on the Island San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. It was presented at the 57th Berlin IFF (2007). Between 2009 and 2010 he made his third feature film, The Solitude of Prime Numbers, based on the novel by Paolo Giordano. —Golden Apricot International Film Festival