Sixteen years ago, Valter chose to abandon society and retire to live isolated in the woods of Canavese in search of what for him is the purpose of life, serenity. He lives in a small dilapidated house with no gas or electricity, and feeds almost exclusively on the bread and milk he obtains by bartering the wood he collects in the woods. His life is marked by the rhythms of the dogs and cats he looks after with great affection, his walks in the mountains and the reading of his books on Renaissance painters, of whom he is passionate. A small battery-operated radio keeps him in touch with the outside world and helps keep him company during long, sleepless nights by candlelight. At the age of 63, however, deprivation begins to take its toll, and Valter begins to wonder if this is really his path to serenity. The author of the documentary becomes a companion against loneliness, the video camera a window through which to see and finally be seen.

Sometimes an encounter can change the way you see things. There are two stories that intertwine in this documentary, and perhaps they will never be the same again. Matteo, a young photographer, who is carried away by events and a chance encounter in the Canavese woods. Valter, a no longer young man whom it is reductive to call a hermit. He is a man who has made a choice, a radical one, tired of a society in which he does not recognise himself. A touching tale that spans four years of life in the woods, showing the passing of the seasons, moments of difficulty and dreams, mixing the past with the future, in a hypnotic and captivating vortex.

Director
Matteo Fusacchia
Story
Matteo Fusacchia
Screenplay
Matteo Fusacchia
Cast and characters

Primo De Pieri (Valter)

Executive production
Zenit Arti Audiovisive, Massimo Arvat
Producer
Alessandro Pezza
Production
Studio Zabalik
con il sostegno di Film Commission Torino Piemonte - Piemonte Doc Film Fund - produzione dicembre 2023
Last update: 12 October 2024