"What are you faithful to?"

Three former theatre school classmates go on holiday together. One of them is bringing his younger girlfriend and her friend. Venice. 2022. War in Ukraine. City on water. Living in a stranger’s house. Airbnb. A terrace, a dinner made of local specialties, free conversations, and summer bodies. Holiday time passing. Can we relax today?

The conversation turns to the upcoming season in a theatre where one of the characters works. Russian literature. Pigeons taking off. With prosciutto being served, someone talks about a project from the work of Russian novelist Joseph Brodsky who lived in Venice as a Russian immigrant. Can we separate the artist from their art these days? Is the concept of nation still relevant? Towels drying over balustrades. Can beauty be a mask of terror? What should be art open to? Moral unrest. What are our values and why do we have them? Listening to the chimes of bells of Santa Maria della Salute. Can we be honest with each other? In marriage and relationships, for instance? The wholeness of our identity. Is truth chaotic? What degree of openness can we bear?

Scenic authorial mosaic about a holiday in war times.

Season 48: Closeness