EMMA / IL COLORE NASCOSTO DELLE COSE/ EMMA

Teo is a man on the run. He runs from his past, from his birth family, from the beds of the women he hooks up with and sneaks out of before daylight, from his responsibilities. His job is the only thing he truly loves, being the “creative artist” for an advertising agency and never taking a break, with his tablets and phones keeping him permanently and compulsively connected with the world. Emma lost her sight when she was 16 years old, yet she never allowed her life to sink in the dark. Rather, she jumped back to her feet, bravely took on her disability and accepted it with the awareness that every day is a brand new fight. She is an osteopath, independent and resolved, getting around town with her white cane. She recently separated from her husband and Teo, splendid and easygoing, seems like the right person to have a little time out with. Teo, on the other hand, at first acts on a bet with the intention to play around, though Emma soon proves different from all the women he has met before and her world fascinates yet frightens him at the same time. This breath of fresh air takes them by surprise, until their moment of bliss abruptly
comes to an end. They each go back to their life, but nothing will ever be as it used to.

„Both Valeria Golino and I wanted Emma to be a blind woman like many, real, with nothing artificial: we needed to be precise in each detail. We decided to distance her from the image everyone has of Valeria; not many actresses actually dive in and transform, but luckily she is one of them. We opted for contact lens to dull her eyes and – beside the usual rehearsals where I bring in all the actors before shooting a film – Valeria attended a class on “orientation and mobility”, just like those to teach blind people how to get around town, how to use the white can, how to discover a new space, organize their home, etc. Learning to see the world without using your eyes is by no means an easy task…“
Silvio Soldini