Andrea Pallaoro presents Bertolucci adaptation The Echo Chamber at Venice
Andrea Pallaoro's drama The Echo Chamber, adapted from Bernardo Bertolucci's final unproduced screenplay, received an eight-minute ovation at its Venice Film Festival premiere on Sunday.
World premiere in Venice
Andrea Pallaoro's drama The Echo Chamber screened in competition for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday evening, receiving an eight-minute ovation from the audience. As the lights went up in the auditorium, cast members Alicia Vikander and Susan Sarandon embraced. The film represents the Italian director's latest entry in the festival's official selection. The production was backed by Rome-based producer Nicola Giuliano of Indigo Film, who secured the rights to the underlying material and attached Pallaoro to direct.
Bertolucci's final unproduced script
The film originates from the last unproduced screenplay by Bernardo Bertolucci. The Italian filmmaker began writing the material in 2017 alongside screenwriters Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi, working from an initial premise of a man and a woman living in the same residence for 15 years without ever meeting. Bertolucci died in Rome in November 2018 after completing the initial draft.
- Bernardo Bertolucci begins writing the screenplay with Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi.
- Bertolucci dies in Rome after completing the first draft of the script.
- The film directed by Andrea Pallaoro world premieres at the Venice Film Festival.
Pallaoro reworked the script with Bernardini and Rampoldi to explore themes of intimacy, dependence, and control. The production is the first time Pallaoro has directed a feature from an outside text, following his previous self-penned films Medeas, Hannah, and Monica.
Narrative and music in London
Set entirely within a London apartment, the narrative follows Leo (Luca Marinelli), a music producer afflicted with chronic physical pain and opioid addiction. He develops a relationship with Anne (Alicia Vikander), a physiotherapist providing his medical care, while also working with Ava May (Susan Sarandon), an established rock singer who hires him to produce her comeback album.
Music serves as a central element in the story. Sarandon performs her character's musical tracks throughout the film, which also includes a sequence featuring Marianne Faithfull's recording of Crazy Love. Marinelli stated at the festival that working without exhaustive character exposition allowed the cast to discover their dynamic on set, while Vikander noted that her character explores the tension between care, tenderness, and control.
Festival statements and casting
The screening marked Sarandon's first entry in a prominent film festival competition this decade, following her 2019 appearance in Blackbird alongside Kate Winslet. Sarandon recounted first encountering Bertolucci's work through The Conformist and later becoming friends with him after an introduction by French director Louis Malle.
During the press conference, Sarandon addressed the impact of her political statements concerning Gaza and the pro-Palestinian movement on her acting career, thanking Pallaoro for offering her the role despite industry pressures.
I've still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still. But that's the power structure. I think within the people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome.
