In 2021 Gabriele Mainetti, the director of the success of Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robotreturned to the big screen with Freaks Out, film premiered at the last Venice Film Festival and which will be broadcast this evening on Rai 4 in prime time. The protagonists of the film are four friends who work in a circus managed by Israel, a father figure who guides them with love and attention. The four protagonists are “Freaks”, freaks: Matilde, electric girl; Cencio, insect tamer; Fulvio, wolf man; Mario, man magnet. “Different” people living in a difficult era, Rome in 1943, in the midst of the Second World War.
Freaks Out it is a film that expertly mixes comedy, drama and cinecomic. A story of diversity and redemption which, through the events of the four protagonists, investigates the human soul and its darkest sides. A film that invites us to reflect on the concept of normality and the importance of accepting others. The film was received with great enthusiasm by critics and audiences. The film received numerous awards, including 6 David di Donatello, and grossed over 2 million euros at the Italian box office. You can also find our review of the film.
Another element that contributes to making Freaks Out a great film is the scenography that enriches the film’s scenes. Let’s find out together where the film was shot.
Freaks Out: what it’s about
Rome, 1943. The city is oppressed by the Second World War and the Nazi occupation. Among the rubble and desperation, stands the Mezzapiotta Circus, managed by the Jew Israel, a refuge for four special individuals: Matilde, the electric girl; Cencio, the insect tamer; Fulvio, the man-beast; and Mario, the magnetic man. Freaks, marginalized by society, find a family and a sense of belonging in the circus. But war looms and their existence is threatened. Israel, in an attempt to guarantee a future for his boys, proposes a trip to America, but mysteriously disappears.
Alone, the four friends find themselves facing a hostile world. Matilde, tormented by doubt and the search for Israel, joins a group of partisans. Fulvio, Mario and Cencio, however, are captured by the Nazis and taken to the Berlin Zircus, a macabre show created by Franz, a sadistic pianist with clairvoyant powers. Franz, obsessed by a prophecy that predicts the salvation of the Third Reich thanks to four individuals endowed with superhuman powers, tortures the Freaks, convinced he can identify them. Matilde manages to infiltrate the circus to free her friends. Find more info on the film here.
All the locations of the film
The shooting of the film took place in several location suggestive. The film opens in Piazza San Lorenzo in Viterbo, in the heart of the medieval quarter of the city, where the Mezzapiotta circus stands. For the occasion, the square was transformed into the historic center of Rome. A bombing disrupts the tranquility of the place, showing the devastation brought by the war. Filming also involved the Popes’ Palace and its loggia, as well as the cathedral and its Gothic bell tower, both seriously damaged by the special effects.
Having finally escaped the bombings, the protagonists take refuge in the ruins of this earthquake-stricken town, located in the province of L’Aquila: Castelnuovo. The setting, which instead recalls the tragic signs of the conflict, becomes the springboard for the decision to flee abroad.
Also there Eternal City it is obviously the backdrop to several scenes of the film. Among the Roman places immortalized by the film we find the Montecucco hill, from which the EUR buildings can be glimpsed, including the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (square Colosseum), whose construction was interrupted in 1943. Also the historic center of Rome , with the archaeological park of the Colosseum, Viale del Colle Oppio, the Theater of Marcellus, the Monti district, Via degli Ibernesi and Via Baccina, is the scene of the protagonists’ search for Israel.
The Tiburtina station was set up in Camigliatello Silano, while the evocative mountain landscapes of Sila provide the backdrop for the train journey of the deported Jews. In addition to the external locations, the interiors of the film were reconstructed at the Videa Studios in via Livigno in Rome.
So don’t miss it Freaks Outthis evening on Rai 4.