At the Venice Film Festival, Italian director Paolo Strippoli presents a sharp and unsettling film that stands out for its dark humor and bold storytelling. The film is titled “L’estranea” in Italian and is also known internationally as “The Spiral.” The 115-minute Italy-France-Belgium co-production is competing in the Venezia 83 main competition. The movie features Valeria Bruni Tedeschi in what is being called the funniest performance of the festival and one of her best career roles. The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw described Bruni Tedeschi’s performance as both the funniest of the festival and a career best. It’s a satirical story that blends fantasy with reality, drawing comparisons to Roald Dahl’s twisted tales. The film is visually stunning and thought-provoking, offering commentary on body image, societal pressures, and the concept of self-sacrifice.
At the heart of the story is Anna, a wealthy woman played by Jasmine Trinca, who lives with her husband Walter in a grand home, according to The Guardian. Anna and Walter have two children: Alice and Tobia, each of whom has their own chapter in the unfolding drama. Strippoli co-wrote the screenplay with Salvatore De Chirico, with Romana Maggiora Vergano playing the adult Alice and Adriano Giannini playing Walter.
A major event occurs during a lavish party at their home, where the family discovers strange ants in the garden before an accident strikes. In the aftermath of the incident, Anna is visited by a mysterious woman named L’estranea, played with flair by Bruni Tedeschi. This stranger claims to know everything about the family and offers to help them in exchange for something significant. The deal is morally complex and reveals the selfishness of both parents as they confront their own desires and sacrifices.
The official Venice synopsis frames the larger story around Anna eventually arriving at her daughter’s home to reveal a family secret connected to the pact she made many years earlier. Anna once dreamed of acting but was forbidden by her father; now she pushes her daughter Alice toward that same dream despite her daughter’s struggles. Meanwhile, Walter is obsessed with his son Tobia’s football success and dismisses any issues related to weight or health.
Throughout the film, Anna wrestles with her choices and the consequences of her actions, often feeling like a victim of her own behavior. The audience is left questioning whether Anna has committed a sin or simply lived a life shaped by vanity and self-interest. The film ultimately suggests that Anna’s punishment is not for wrongdoing but for being smug, vain, and indifferent to others.
Speaking at Venice, Strippoli said the film grew out of his own fear of losing control and described it as a psychological thriller with elements of horror, according to ANSA. In his Venice director’s statement, he explained that the story moves between the present, with Alice inside her apartment during a storm, and earlier summers when the wealthy Colonna family appeared almost untouchable. Strippoli said one of the film’s central ideas is the harm people can cause when their attempts to protect or control loved ones are mistaken for love.
The climax brings a shocking and darkly comic ending that leaves viewers both disturbed and entertained. “L’estranea” is scheduled to open in Italian theaters on October 8 through 01 Distribution.