Martin Eden

Directed by Pietro Marcello, 2019, ITA,FRA,GER, 129 minutes

Set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history yet adapted from a 1909 novel by American author Jack London, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (played by the marvelously committed Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The twinned dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political reawakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman.

Mature content, recommended for Ages 13+ In Italian | Neapolitan | French with English subtitles

Platform Award - 2019 Toronto International Film Festival “One of the most epic-feeling Italian movies in years, a throwback to ’70s-era big-canvas statements. Lead actor Luca Marinelli, rousing in every scene, comes within hailing distance of the young Robert De Niro.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York