Why this story?

Simona: 

That is perhaps the most difficult question one can ask about a film.  I personally believe Nóstos is a film about the fragility and the obtuseness of love, built on a fragile framework. I say “this film” because it was born from a courageous attempt to lay oneself bare in order to encounter others, which is maybe one of the main struggles we have.

Krystof: 

To raise questions, deep ones.

Giovanni:

The answer to this question changed every time the story took on a new shape. I think that at some point, Simona felt the need to go beyond the "neatly packaged" family stories that were causing her frustration and anger, because she felt there was much more beneath the surface. Her curiosity shifted away from her Greek grandfather’s history and toward a search for deeper bonds and silences. We moved away from what could have been a more historical, masculine narrative and found ourselves telling a story woven from small detail - about the bond between her and her father, and how he navigated his relationship with his two mothers.

How did your idea change during the development process?

Simona: 

Our idea often changed shape along the way, adapting to reality and to the need we felt to tell the story, but I think that's also right. There was a very important change during the pre-production phase. We started with the story of my grandfather’s immigration and his life, which he had never shared with my father and his brothers. We realized that this film required a different kind of research and approach than what we had imagined and desired, so we changed the subject while retaining the intention. What already existed in that version of Nóstos was, in fact, a reflection on the transfer of emotional and psychological baggage from parent to child.

Krystof: 

It moved from the research of simona's path to the investigation into the relationship between Simona and her father.

What’s the biggest production challenge you faced?

Simona: 

My biggest personal production challenge was finding the right time to take a proper break between the shooting and realizing what we were doing, without being too emotionally involved in the process. 

Krystof:

As the dop of the movie shooting in winter with a lot of rain made the job hard, lots of artistic choices have been influenced by weather conditions.

Giovanni:

From an editing perspective, the hardest part was being on set almost every week, acting as both sound recordist and editor. After a while, you start to lose that 'fresh eyes' perspective that is vital for an editor. On top of that, we shot a lot of pick-ups during the editing phase: I was in Bolzano editing whatever arrived, while Simona was in Bari on her own, filming the more intimate dialogues we needed for the structure. It meant endless calls and messages, but mostly, a constant stream of daily exports that felt like puzzle pieces we were slowly fitting together in the dark.

Who do you want to hear this story and why?

Simona: 

Nóstos reflects the difficulties we ourselves encountered in grasping this story and making it accessible to the viewer, but it is a sincere and, in its own way, courageous film that could speak to anyone who has asked themselves the same questions I have asked myself, or to anyone who has ever fantasized about having a more open dialogue with their parents or with the people they love but struggle to communicate with.

These are the people I want to hear our story.

Krystof:

Young adults and parents, I think it's never too late to "ask and dialogue".

Giovanni:

It's a very specific story. I think the film reflects the struggle we had ourselves in 'entering' the narrative; there are five characters on screen, plus many more in the background who reveal themselves through family photos that carry a lot of weight. But slowly, a few cracks of light appear. Anyone who has ever questioned their own family dynamics will likely hear an echo of their own life. While growing up, you often ask yourself: 'Why don't my parents and I understand each other anymore?'; but more often than not, the real shift happens when you are the first one to try and understand them. Nóstos is exactly that: a moment of family and personal reflection that doesn't offer easy answers, but simply shifts your perspective.