Valeria Verna

There are stories that when you try to explain them you feel like they lose their meaning, “Life of Pi” is one of these and when I find myself talking about cinema and saying that this is definitely one of my favorite films, I often hear people ask me “What do you think this film is about, what is the truth compared to the facts, which story is true, the one where there are animals or the one where there are only human beings”? The first time I saw this film I didn’t ask myself this question and I still don’t ask myself this question today. I don’t care.

In recent days there has been much debate about the use of the word cruelty.

I have read a lot about it and tried to find out why, according to many, I should not have been so indignant, when in the sentence of the murder of Giulia Cecchettin the aggravating circumstance of cruelty was excluded.

“Real men” don’t cry, they don’t show their emotions, they are never afraid, they are always sure of their decisions, they have to make themselves respected, they are virile, physically strong…

It always has a certain effect on me to hear phrases like “I haven’t dreamed for years” or “Dreams are our unconscious desires” or “We dream about what happens to us because we have experienced it and we bring it back to sleep as a memory”.

External beauty has always exercised a particular fascination in the history of humanity, influencing behaviors, choices and values. In contemporary society, the obsession with physical appearance has become even more pronounced, fueled by social media, advertising and television. This theme, also thanks to a recent film I saw at the cinema, invites me to offer food for thought on the implications of pursuing external beauty “at all costs” and on the risks that this search entails.

I take inspiration from a very interesting post written by my colleague Dr. Ludovica Turchetti on her social profile and from an event that happened to me to talk about a topic already addressed on this blog and in other areas, a very hot topic in this period due to the start of the new school year: certifications.

Did you know that the Olympics were originally an opportunity to make a truce from the wars and that subsequently those colored circles, which are their symbol, went on to represent the five continents united together as if to describe that sense of humanity, closeness and union that we should feel mutually among all of us inhabitants of the globe?

The world of cinema has been inspired by this theme for a very long time and even if not all works highlight its negative side, I can’t help but think of masterpieces such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” (Stanley Kubrick, 1968), and “ Blade Runner” (Ridley Scott, 1982), where humanoids or computers simulate the characteristics of human beings in making decisions, solving problems, learning the cause-effect relationships between different behaviors, developing strategies to achieve goals and objectives but without any emotional and affective response.

On November 25th I was among the infinite sea of ​​people who demonstrated from the Circus Maximus in a moving and composed way in favor of women, against violence. I arrived a little earlier than expected on the first cold day since the end of summer. The sky, however, despite the harsh climate, was incredibly clear and the sun, overbearing, shone proudly.