Red Desert

Ravenna’s petrochemical plant and surrounding industrial landscape set the tone for Giuliana’s anxious world. The narrative moves through Ferrara on recruitment drives and to Medicina’s radio observatory, highlighting a modern Italy shaped by industry and science. At Porto Corsini, a fogbound riverside shack becomes a social hub where the group negotiates connection amid unease and ambiguity.

🌫️ Isolation

Giuliana’s sense of being cut off from those around her drives much of the film. She moves through loud, impersonal spaces while seeking an anchor and a space to belong. Interactions with Corrado and Ugo fail to bridge the widening gulf inside her. The atmosphere emphasizes a private fear that remains unseen by others.

🏭 Industrial Pressure

Industrial spaces become almost characters themselves, their clatter and scale shaping how people relate to one another. Machines, smokestacks, and clinical spaces replace intimate settings, amplifying emotional strain. Giuliana’s anxiety is tethered to the relentless rhythm of work and the pollution that seems to suffocate human warmth. The environment intensifies the sense of being trapped within a mechanized world.

🧠 Mental Turmoil

Giuliana’s inner crisis deepens as marital distance, Corrado’s tentative sympathy, and her son’s vulnerability converge. A hospital memory and a patient’s need to love someone reveal a longing for grounding beyond chaos. Dreams of sinking and groundless fear recur, blurring the line between perception and reality. Her struggle is anchored in a tension between external appearances and private dread.

🌀 Reality vs Illusion

Moments of uncertainty arise when a quarantined ship and a foggy estuary disrupt clear perception. Giuliana’s attempts to articulate her feelings to a silent listener underline language barriers in emotional exchange. The film continually unsettles certainty, inviting viewers to question what is truly real. The boundary between the tangible world and inner fear remains porous throughout.