In Edoardo De Angelis’s films, family is a bond forged in the struggle for survival. In his acclaimed Indivisible, a father exploits his daughters’ talent, while The Vice of Hope tells the story of an infertile woman caught up in an illegal surrogacy business. This time, a son building a family in Milan is driven to distraction by his boisterous mother visiting from Naples. His family is equally exasperated, and judging by her behavior, it’s easy to see why most people would find her a handful. And so begins ‘a nightmare on Christmas Eve.’ Meanwhile, the camera dances, the music cheers on the domestic battles, and a rooster destined for the dinner table wanders about unconcerned. Sometimes, it’s sad to say, a family squabble is simply great entertainment for onlookers. The clash of rapid-fire dialogue leaves you breathless, yet somehow builds into genuine drama - that’s Italian comedy at its best. Nothing can sever the bond between a mother and son who both carry fire within.
Edoardo De Angelis was born in Naples in 1978. After a varied early career that included working as a ballet dancer, rapper, and actor, he entered filmmaking at nineteen and studied directing at Italy′s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He made his feature debut with Mozzarella Stories (2011), starring Luca Zingaretti, then broke through internationally with Indivisible (2016), the story of conjoined twin sisters, which won the Pasinetti Award for Best Film at Venice Days and swept over 50 international prizes, including six David di Donatello Awards. He went on to establish himself as one of Italy′s leading directors with The Vice of Hope (2018), which won the Audience Award at the Rome Film Fest and Best Director at Tokyo. After directing the Netflix series The Lying Life of Adults (2023), based on Elena Ferrante′s novel, he moved into Venice′s main competition with the true-story drama Comandante (2023). Having also branched into opera and theater direction, he returns to the Venice main competition once again with his latest film, The Fire Within You.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
