The new Italian film “A Common Story,” directed by Anna Foglietta, centers on a couple grappling with the emotional fallout of their daughter leaving for college. The film distinguishes itself through its focus on silence and nonverbal communication, a departure from typical relationship dramas.
Starring Alba Rohrwacher as Erika and Guido Caprino as Mauro, the film depicts a couple who struggle to articulate their feelings. Erika, nearly 45, finds herself adrift after years of defining her purpose through domestic tasks and caring for her family. She previously baked a bundt cake each morning, checked on her mother Altea (Caterina Casini) after work, and cleaned the house. With her daughter Irene (Ksenia Borzak) now in college and Altea busy with friends, Erika feels a loss of purpose.
The film highlights Erika’s inability to understand her depression because she lacks the vocabulary to name it, preventing her from sharing her despair with Mauro. Mauro, who works in construction with his father Marcello (Elio De Capitani), observes his wife’s deterioration with confusion. Foglietta’s direction emphasizes the “spaces between speech,” a sensitivity that the review notes is rare in Italian cinema. The opening montage of empty university rooms foreshadows the “empty-nest syndrome” experienced by the couple.
The review suggests the film’s themes resonate with feminist texts exploring the lack of self-worth experienced by women whose lives feel meaningless when their traditional roles end, but focuses on the experience of women who lack the tools or language to articulate those feelings. The film portrays Erika’s disintegration as a consequence of being unable to identify and communicate her emotional state.
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