Untitled - Ellipsis

We have drunk Soma and become immortal;
we have attained the light,
the Gods discovered.
Now what may foeman’s malice do to harm us?
What, O Immortal, mortal man’s deception?
RGVEDA, VIII - 48,3
ABOUT
The relationship between Humanity
and Nature has become, century
by century, less and less symbiotic.
By now the original balance seems
to be lost, degrading to the human
predominance. But what would
happen if Nature revolted, turning the
humans into the protagonists of their
own destruction?
STORY
Emilio is a 35 year old photographer
who’s just come back home from a
business trip in South America. Upon
his return everything seems to be as
normal and happy as before he left
for him to carry on just the same way.
But although on the surface Emilio
still is the man he was, in love with
his girlfriend and passionate about
his job, his whole being is subtly and
slowly transforming. He ignores what
the small dark protuberance that is
growing on the back of his neck is. But
that apparently not important bulge is
a parasite fungus, alike those infecting
the nervous system of insects, making
their behavior asocial and aggressive,
and leading them to death. In the same
way, Emilio’s life changes. Without
relief.
First his temperament changes, than his
dreams’ content. Later, new obsessive
needs appear: he strongly needs
light, and most of all water, so much
that a bloody power bursts in himself
against anyone who tries to obstacle
these needs. Her girlfriend, as well as
the guards and those who study his
strange case in the psychiatric hospital
will be all victims of a violence he is
unable to stop.
Emilio escapes. He runs to the
mountains, to the woods. Away from
himself, away from others. But he’s
also indulging a deep necessity of
a return to the origins, to the laws
of Earth, and somehow, through an
indispensible death, a return to life.
This is exactly the conflict that drives
his dramatic actions: on one side the
human fighting to save his life and that
of his species, even if that meant to
annihilate himself; on the other the
animal, bereft of moral principles,
using its own nature to carry out a
precise plan for a new equilibrium.
The chief in command of the police
team chasing Emilio is detective
Mangia, a clever police officer yet
a tremendously lazy man with a
troubled private life. Who should be
the good guy embodies in fact the
symbol of human obstinacy to live and
subdue, although the very right to live
is perhaps no longer deserved...
PROJECT
SOMA is a web series which combines
typical elements from the fantasy
and the thriller with a current issue,
encouraging the individual reflection
on its ecological message. Avoiding
an immediate complicity with the
audience, the purpose is to tell a both
contemporary and articulate tale.
The first series of Soma is structured
in four episodes of about 15 minutes
each. Every episode ends with a
suspended final, in order to keep
involved the audience and assure their
fidelity.
The last episode concludes a circle
but contemporarily holds the audience
expectations high. We have always
thought about SOMA as a sort of “pilot
season” or a long teaser for a second
season, which would be longer and
more structured.
CAST
Emilio Vacca
Aside a substantial experience in
theatre, including Studio su Medea
and Hamlet’s Portrait by renowned
director Antonio Latella, Emilio has
recently made his big screen debut as
co-star in Esterno Sera (2011, Barbara
Rossi Prudente).
Emilio Ongaro | Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4
A young photographer comes back
from a business trip in South America,
convinced to find his normal everyday
life, and ignoring he’s carrying within
himself the seed to an epochal change
of the human destiny.
CAST
Luigi Di Fiore
Award winning actor (Palmares for
Best Actor in the feature film Emilia
Galotti at the Festival du Cinema
de Paris, 2009), Luigi Di Fiore has
constantly worked in national and
international TV and Film productions
since 1985.
Luciano Mangia | Episodes 2, 3, 4
A sharp and talented detective with
a troubled private life. He’ll find in
Emilio’s case the chance to put some
order in his complicated existence.
Hélène Nardini
Samanta Piccinetti
Since 1996 Helene has worked in numerous
Beside her experience in films and theatre,
television series, including Donna Detective,
Samanta has become a TV celebrity thanks
Incantesimo, Carabinieri, Don Matteo and
to her constant work for commercials and for
Un Posto al Sole. She’s also famous for her
the most famous long run Italian soap opera,
interpretation of Laura in the film Penso che un
Un Posto al Sole, in which she regularly plays
sogno così, directed by Marco De Luca in 2008.
Arianna Landi.
Anita Cardone | Episodes 2, 3
Silvia | Episode 1
The only one who seems to have realized
Beautiful and bright, she’s Emilio loving
Emilio’s scientific case and human drama,
girlfriend, and the first to pay the expenses of
is doctor Anita Cardone, psychiatrist at the
his brutal change .
mental insitution for convicts. When Detective
Mangia sees the necessity to ask her opinion
about the case, she’ll get involved in the matter
on more than one level.
Carlo De Ruggieri
Roberta Stellato
He began his career in 1990, starring in Taviani
Thanks to her dancing background, Roberta
brothers’ feature film Il sole anche di notte. After
has worked in many stage productions
uncountable roles for the big screen, he has
that introduced her to acting. She’s been in
recently established himself as a major actor,
numerous commercials, has acted in the TV
playing one of the main characters in Boris, the
production RIS – Delitti imperfetti, and has
famous TV series airing on Fox.
appeared in the feature film Sul Mare, directed
by Alessandro D’Alatri.
Aldo Ferretti | Episodes 2, 3, 4
Detective Ferretti teams up with bad-tempered
Woman in the dream | Episodes 1, 4
Detective Mangia. Unbreakable optimist, he’s
She is the woman haunting Emilio’s dreams,
never stopped hoping to help his collegue and
embodying his unconscious instincts and
friend to sort out his missed up life. That’s a hard
desire of return to Nature.
task, but he counts on being the only one who
seems to fully understand Mangia.
Nereo Savastano
Sasa Pelliccia
Alessandra Asuni
Gianfranco Russo
Giorgio Sorrentino
Cristiana Dell’Anna
PRODUCTION
MalatestaFilm
SOMA combines high quality
entertainment with low budget
costs, which is the basic purpose of
its creators as well, the founders of
MalatestaFilm.
This brand new film production
company was founded in 2012 by
four established film-makers based
in Rome in order to present new and
stimulating works. They chose the
web in order to bypass the limits of
traditional broadcasting channels
and to reach a wider, possibly global
audience.
MalatestaFilm
The four film-makers,
from the top to the bottom:
Francesco Vitiello
Fabio Paladini
Davide Devenuto
Dario Sardelli
CREDITS
SOMA is a Malatesta Film Production
in collaboration with Maxima Film
Based on an idea by: Fabio Paladini and Francesco Vitiello
Episodes’ Story:
- Ep. 1: Fabio Paladini and Francesco Vitiello
- Ep. 2: Fabio Paladini and Francesco Vitiello
- Ep. 3: Maria Grazia Cassalia and Fabio Paladini
- Ep. 4: Maria Grazia Cassalia, Fabio Paladini and
Francesco Vitiello
Screenwriters:
- Ep. 1: Fabio Paladini
- Ep. 2: Fabio Paladini
- Ep. 3: Maria Grazia Cassalia
- Ep. 4: Fabio Paladini
Directors:
- Ep. 1: Fabio Paladini
- Ep. 2: Fabio Paladini
- Ep. 3: Giovanni Prisco
- Ep. 4: Davide Devenuto and Francesco Vitiello
Executive Producer:
Creative Producer:
Cinematographer:
Production Manager:
Associate Producer: Cinematographer assistant:
Continuity supervisor:
Production coordinator:
Music, mixing and soundfx:
Sound recording:
Make up, and SFX artist:
Editor:
VFX artists: Opening Credits Sequence:
Graphic design:
Gaffer:
Props sourcer:
Davide Devenuto
Francesco Vitiello
Fabio Paladini
Dario Sardelli
Ivan Vecchietti
Stefano Nurra
Elisa Munafò
Fausto Acernese
Damiano Marchese
Stefano Mascitti
Matteo Zito
Andrea Pace
Samuele Grippo
Carlo Licenziato
Bruno Glisbergh
Francesco Iscaro
Giordana Crognale
Fabio Paladini
Stefano Nurra
Michael Ercolano
Stefano Nurra
Carlo Turri
Giorgio Sorrentino
Giorgia Cavaliere
Season 1 (4x15’)
ITA sub ENG
WEBSERIES – Italy – 2012/2013
Production: MalatestaFilm
Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Thriller
Total running time: 1h 2m 23s
youtube.com/somalaserie