Alicia Vikander, Luca Marinelli, and Susan Sarandon star in *The Echo Chamber*, a new film by director Andrea Pallaoro. The movie, set in a large London apartment, explores themes of art, addiction, time, and relationships.
The film takes place primarily within a sprawling apartment that, despite being located in London, evokes an “Old World Continental” aesthetic. This disconnect is intentional, as the space functions as a liminal area of “mystery, deception, longing and dislocation.” The story follows Leo, played by Luca Marinelli, and Anne, played by Alicia Vikander, as they navigate a complex relationship, complicated by Leo’s struggles with addiction. The narrative shifts between timelines, showing Leo both during a period of substance use and after his return from rehab. Their shared space takes on “an almost ghostly aura” as they rarely occupy it at the same time.
*The Echo Chamber* marks the first time Andrea Pallaoro has worked from a screenplay he did not co-write. The script is based on a draft by the late Bernardo Bertolucci, along with Ilaria Bernardini and Ludovica Rampoldi, and was further developed by Pallaoro. The film explores questions of art and time, distance and nearness, love and manipulation, while avoiding conventional narrative explanations. Marinelli is initially seen “in the throes of a coke-fueled communion with electronica,” attempting to draw Anne into his energy. The film also features Ann Akinjirin and Aomi Muyock as Leo’s friends, Victoria and Alma, who visit with their infant son.
The film will begin its theatrical run in Italy on September 10th and is a contender for the Golden Lion. It is described as an “art house movie” with a “dark emo sensibility.”
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