Small Body

Italy, 1900. Young Agata’s baby is stillborn and so, condemned to Limbo. Agata hears about a place in the mountains, where infants can be brought back to life for just one breath, to baptize them. She undertakes a voyage with her daughter’s small body hidden in a box and meets Lynx, a solitary boy who offers to help her. They set off on an adventure which will enable both to come close to a miracle that seems impossible.

Agatha's journey to the sanctuary in the rugged alpine landscape of Friuli Venezia Giulia brings to mind a mystical, cinematic folktale. The shots from the mountains emphasize the physical smallness of the human, in accordance with the film's title, while the close-ups of the grief-stricken face of Cescutti, who plays Agata, bring out the greatness of the emotions. The subtle expressions and gestures on Cescutti's face tell more than a thousand words about the faith, hope and love of a mother who has lost her child.

Production Notes and Hanna Maria Laakso