In Last night in MilanAndrea Di Stefano’s third feature film, Pierfrancesco Favino plays an honest police officer involved in a dangerous situation the day before his retirement. The Press met the Italian actor during his recent visit to Montreal.
An exemplary police officer for 35 years, Franco Amore (Pierfrancesco Favino) is preparing to retire. However, he has barely arrived home, where his wife Viviana (Linda Caridi) has prepared a surprise party for him, when his immediate superior orders him to go to a bloody crime scene. The last night of Amore, who never had to use his weapon, risks being long and perilous.
“Andrea Di Stefano said that he had written this role for me,” confides the actor, very comfortable in the language of Molière. It’s something that’s nice and at the same time, it’s a little strange, because you have to wonder why he thought of me… We never know what others see of us, what the public go see or find out about us. This is the fate of an actor, which is both fun and very interesting. As soon as I read the script, I found it so good that I immediately wanted to make the film. »
Director ofEscobar (2014) and The informant (2019), Andrea Di Stefano first became known as an actor; we saw it in particular in Before night falls (2000), by Julian Schnabel, and Do not turn around (2009), by Marina de Van. In his first film, The Prince of Hombourg (1997), by Marco Bellocchio, where he played the leading role, Andrea Di Stefano opposite none other than Pierfrancesco Favino.
Question of trust
The actor liked the idea of reconnecting with his former on-screen partner: “Being in front of the camera can be traumatic, so if you work with someone who has that type of experience, especially if you played with him, you can trust him on many levels. »
And confidence was needed since a large part of the action of Last night in Milan was filmed on a highway in the middle of the night, obviously, in the middle of traffic. In addition to being shot in 35mm format, the film includes several sequences shot in 360 degrees.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Pierfrancesco Favino
For eight weeks, a highway in Milan was blocked; everything was done in complete safety. The unity of space helped a lot in terms of concentration, understanding what the character is experiencing. We felt a bit like we were on the stage of a theater; we never knew where the camera was going to take us.
Pierfrancesco Favino
“On the one hand, we felt a certain freedom, but on the other, it was very complicated because the cameras were rotating 360 degrees, so everyone had to be ready at the same time. Plus, with 35mm, you see light everywhere, but you never know where the frame ends. It gives the image a different depth. It’s been a long time since I shot on 35mm and I think that adds a lot to the quality of the film. »
Far from clichés
Beyond the technical challenges involved in filming Last night in Milan, what interested the actor above all, who is offered many criminal roles (especially outside Italy where he is in great demand), was to bring to life a character who moves away from clichés. Even if he will have to make gestures that he would never have thought of during this hellish night, Franco Amore is not at all like a hero that we meet in American films.
“Symbolically, night is the moment when we are forced to make very important choices in our lives. In this type of film, especially if it comes from the United States, the hero always knows how to master this type of situation, but here, we have a man who is not at all prepared for it. In a thriller, this adds a lot of tension, and in this case, a little touch of Italianness; when we think of Italian heroes of the past, like those of Alberto Sordi, we find characters surprised to discover their strength. When I choose a role, it’s because there is something in the humanity of the character that interests me and that can interest the audience. I don’t do it for my career, but to find something in it that we want to see in our films. »
Indoors
Who is Pierfrancesco Favino?
Born on August 24, 1969, in Rome, this graduate of the Academy of Dramatic Art met international glory in 2005 thanks to Romanzo Criminaleby Michele Placido.
Performing in various foreign productions, including World War Z (2013), by Marc Forster, he won the prize for best male performance for Padrenostroby Claudio Noce, at the Mostra, in 2020.
In 2024, we will see it in Mariaby Pablo Larrain, and The count of Monte Cristoby Alexandre De La Patellière and Mathieu Delaporte.