The Lord of the Ants (IL SIGNORE DELLE FORMICHE)

Based on true events in Italy in the late ‘60s, Italian poet, playwright and director Aldo Braibanti is prosecuted and sentenced to prison for the love he shares with his younger pupil and friend, Ettore. Amidst a chorus of voices of accusers, supporters and a largely hypocritical public, a single committed journalist takes on the task of piecing together the truth between secrecy and desire, facing suspicion and censorship in the process. Hauntingly beautiful, elegantly mounted and superbly performed, Amelio’s impassioned The Lord of the Ants is a deeply affecting reminder of the conflicts that simmer just below the surface of ‘civilized’ society, as much now as ever.