Futura (2021) - full transcript
A portrait of Italy observed through the eyes of teenagers who talk about the places they live in and imagine themselves, torn between the opportunities that surround them, the dream of what they want to become, the fear of failing, the trials they hope to overcome.
You have a nice touch.
Do you want a braid?
Meet Peppe.
- He's lovely!
- Look.
How come you are breeding him?
His mother had left him.
He wasn't able to hatch out of his egg
because of a broken foot.
So...
we opened the egg and Peppe was there!
Let us see him!
He runs away.
I'm putting you in the water.
He doesn't go in the water alone.
He always wants me to watch over him.
If there’s something worth telling,
it’s that we decided to join together
to make a film
and travel through Italy,
our "bel paese", "beautiful country",
if you can still call it that.
We met in early 2020.
It was winter and we ventured out.
We asked groups of young people
how they imagined their future.
But what do we mean by "young people"?
They're not children anymore
but not yet adults.
They're struggling with
the difficult task of becoming adults.
They're sort of supernatural creatures,
Those Who Are Becoming.
What will they become?
Do we see ourselves in them today?
What have you done to the engine?
I modified the cylinder kit.
That is the cylinder head and the piston.
I changed the muffle,
the carburetor and the open filter.
- Where do you find the money?
- Our parents give it to us.
Why do your parents give you money?
They think that
if I spend money on the Ape car
I won't spend it on smoking or drinking.
Speaking for myself.
Andrea's grandparents
give him money to do chores.
He's kinda spoiled, though.
He only works for tips!
That's how he bought his car.
So,
what is the future?
What's the future for you?
Our future is to live with...
To have a family,
live with the man you love,
have children, be independent.
Be happy.
- To be happy is the main thing.
- Get married.
- Be responsible.
- Have many projects.
- Work.
- That's the main thing.
Men must provide for the family.
Women must be independent
for their own sake.
- I don't think so.
- Men must provide!
Everyone should work.
Why shouldn't women work?
- They take care of the house.
- And children.
That's what I said.
Women must work
to be financially independent as well.
I said that women should work as well.
Any goals?
Sure.
- What are your goals?
- I have many.
- Tell me.
- To become a professional beautician.
To set up shop.
To travel.
To always move around.
To become a makeup artist.
- To travel?
- Yeah.
Do you ever travel?
- A little.
- Often.
- Have you ever traveled through Italy?
- Yes.
What do you think of Italy?
- There's no future in Italy.
- Exactly.
- No future for you here?
- No.
- Isn't this scary?
- Sure.
What about you?
I wish that in the future...
people will stop discriminating...
...stop discriminating...
...people who are not like them.
People who are slightly different.
I want to know
other countries and cultures.
Those who are sexually different.
Everyone should be free
to love whomever they choose.
Don't judge other peoples' lives.
What are you thinking, Caterina?
Like, it’s hard to be a lesbian
in our society.
They're always being judged.
Do you feel judged?
Yes, I do.
I don't know.
It doesn't really affect me.
You get used to it.
- You mean rudeness?
- Yeah.
You become rude too.
I've chosen this one.
It shows a hand trying to mark a wall.
I feel like this right now.
I want to leave a mark,
be it by studying
or by doing the things I love
or I'll do in the future.
I picked this one.
It's a man in a suit
with stones on his shoulders.
I've picked this one because
when I see a sharp dressed man
I think he must be successful
and without worries.
The stones represent
the worries hidden behind the suit.
I don't dress this way,
but I always come across
as a cheerful, easygoing guy.
So people might think
that I have no fears.
But I actually have
many worries on my shoulders.
Some of them concern
my relationship with people.
I've picked two pictures.
This one
and this one.
I've picked this one
because I really couldn't care less
about people judging me.
What's the world?
I really couldn't care less
about their observations.
I smoke a cigarette
and blow it in your face!
I don't care about what you think of me.
This one means that you must not
break down when someone judges you.
It makes you stronger.
These two pictures really represent me.
They're nice photographs.
I'm the best featherweight around.
You mean lightweight!
Sure, lightweight.
- What about your future?
- Well...
I'll become a professional.
Otherwise, what's the use of training?
No plan b?
Join the army.
I will enlist for sure.
It's my childhood dream.
Will you stay in Italy?
I want to leave. This is a bad place.
There's nothing for me here.
Where will you go?
Anywhere else!
I don't think I'll find happiness here.
What's your relationship with Italy?
For me it's the best place in the world.
Speaking about...
sea and tourism,
Italy is one of the best
countries in the world.
Speaking about money, jobs
and boxing you certainly need to leave.
Here you are not able
to compete on an international level.
Soccer is the only sport, here.
All other sports
are considered less worthy.
I hate soccer players!
They earn millions just to kick a ball.
Construction workers
work their butts off twelve hours a day.
They start early in the morning
to earn pennies.
I don't like it.
What can you do about it?
You should give more money to the worthy,
the people who work their butts off.
You should give less money
to people who practice useless sports!
Well, they're not
actually useless, but...
Do you guys agree with him?
They should pay players less.
They have fun and earn millions
while there are people who...
What if they gave
that kind of money to you?
I wouldn't complain about it!
Will young people like you
be able to change things?
There is strength in numbers!
People should act united.
We can't do much otherwise.
What do you mean by "people"?
The entire nation should rise up!
- And protest along with you?
- Yes.
- Why don't you build a movement?
- How?
I'm busy.
What if I fail?
Failure scares me.
- You should at least try.
- Well...
We don't mess around anymore
like when we were fourteen.
What do you mean?
Messing around like today,
and other stuff.
So youth is a thing of the past for you?
Well, not yet. But it's on its way to be.
How do you picture
your future in the adult world?
First of all, I'll have to find a job.
Work will be time-consuming.
Now we go to school in the morning.
But after school and during holidays
we have time to do what we do now.
We won't be able to do it
when we get a job.
This future looks like a death warrant!
Does it scare you?
We're afraid of losing our friends.
Not to hang out together anymore.
Well, I don't think that we won't...
It's entirely possible that we part ways.
This is a small town.
There are not many jobs here.
So if you want a job
you have to leave.
Would you rather stay
here in Umbria or leave?
I'd rather stay here or nearby,
or go to work elsewhere during the day
and come back at night.
You publish a magazine that's
committed to the issues of young people.
How do you picture your own future?
I think that to stay
in Italy is not the answer.
It only makes you feel safe.
I'm thinking of spending
some years abroad and traveling around.
Italy has many issues right now.
But if you never experience life
outside Italy, you can't change Italy.
There's a lot of talk about patriotism,
nationalism, homeland.
The most patriotic thing you can do
is send your child abroad to study.
If you only experience life in Italy,
you'll never be able to change things.
Do you think
only privileged people leave Italy?
Not necessarily.
If you want to take a risk and learn,
then you go abroad.
It doesn't matter
if you don't have any money.
Not everyone wants to keep studying.
You can travel abroad
and stay in another country
even if your family
doesn't help you financially.
It's not reserved to an elite.
It's a personal choice
that defines your path in life.
The present should address
concrete problems.
When I read newspapers or watch TV,
they often tackle fake issues
that are far from the everyday grind
of students like us
and workers.
Like what?
This is out of my personal experience.
Precariousness is a big issue.
In both work and life.
They often tell us
that we're free to choose.
But in fact we're not.
If I want a house and a child,
I need money.
If I don't have it,
I'm not free to choose.
I'm forced not to have these things.
In the future
our society will become
more and more individualist.
People won't care for neighbors anymore.
They will care only for themselves.
I don't see a bright future for us.
Things must change now.
Our world is decaying.
Parks, schools, jobs and common resources
are losing their meaning and power.
So, we simply have to work
to modernize all this.
Guys, we want to know if our future
is an individual or a collective issue.
You're used to live
in a collective environment.
How do you picture your future?
It will be a difficult future.
It won't be a better future.
Yet it might become better than today,
like it has in the past.
How do you picture your future?
A job, a car, a flat.
Later, a family.
These are the steps.
- So, there are steps.
- Yes.
Do you think that your future
will be different from the one
your parents imagined?
Yes.
For better or for worse?
For better, I think.
When they were our age
they got married early.
They weren't allowed to do many things.
It's completely different today.
You can hang out with your girlfriend.
You can hang out
with Italian people. No big deal.
You can invite friends at home.
If you don't want to marry,
it's no big deal.
I think that young people today
are good for nothing.
They always need their parents
to provide for them.
They're good for nothing!
Our parents were different.
They did everything,
they didn't need any support.
At twenty they already
had children, a home,
a car, everything.
We're Romani, but today
we feel more like we're Italian!
At least in that respect.
We've become too lazy.
What are they doing?
Young people versus old people?
This tractor was my grandfather's.
Then it became my father's
and now it's mine.
If I ever become a father,
it will be my children's.
If I ever become a father,
I'll have my children farm with me.
I'll teach them to drive tractors.
I'll teach them to work plows,
cutters, mowers.
Why so?
Go home!
I like to work.
I'll teach my sons
and daughters to work too.
Not everybody knows how to farm.
If agriculture dies, the world is over.
Everything is over.
Everything revolves around agriculture.
Fifty years ago,
the majority of Italian boys
used to live like you.
- Now you're part of a minority.
- Yes.
This is because society
and high technology
drove people away from working the land,
especially fifteen-year-old boys.
Will it be easy for you to keep working
the land here in Tuscany?
I don't know yet.
Many people are advising me
against doing this job.
It's not profitable, they say.
I do have plans, but they're still foggy.
What do you think
Lorenzo's future will be?
I want him to study. Then we'll see.
That's the main thing.
First you have to study.
Then you'll make your choice.
Is there a relationship between
courses of study and jobs?
Hardly. To work here
you don't need to study.
Maybe mathematics.
- Maybe some knowledge...
- You can practice a little and then see.
You'll choose after school.
Do you like school?
Yes.
So and so.
Kids, I beg your pardon.
Are there books in your homes?
Be honest, please.
- Do you have books?
- I do.
Do you?
What kind of books?
Collection of stories,
text books, and so on.
- What about the others?
- Durfort's Carol.
- What's that?
- An entire collection of stories.
- You mean one entire story.
- Yes.
Who wrote it?
I don't remember.
- You're older than him. What about you?
- I have text books.
I love the Odyssey.
It's about the adventures of Ulysses.
He went to Ogygia Island.
Calypso detained him there.
Can you recite a poem?
- What's the title?
- San Martino.
- Who wrote it?
- Giosuè Carducci.
Recite it slowly.
Go.
"The fog to the steep hills
amid the rain ascends,
and under the mistral
the sea screams and whitens..."
- Is it about the Adriatic Sea?
- No, the Tyrrhenian Sea.
- The Volturno river flows into it.
- Yes.
- Goodbye, kids.
- See you.
Montesanto, Naples.
You guys were raised in this neighborhood
and want to become actors.
What are education,
study and culture to you?
You don't need school here in Naples.
I mean, you don't need it to find a job.
It's good for knowledge.
A degree won't help you find a job.
I don't need it to wash dishes.
Five years of high school
and then you end up washing dishes!
Yet I want to be an actor.
I need culture.
I need to know a lot of things.
Education is knowledge.
It helps you to get over
the fear of the unknown.
If someone asks you
questions of general knowledge
you know the answer
and you don't make a bad impression.
I think that culture is knowledge.
People who want to study
should have the right to.
They should be able to keep
studying after high school.
- Is there such a right?
- No.
Definitely not.
Well,
not everyone can afford university.
There are young people
who really want to keep studying,
but are not wealthy.
So they can't.
They don't want young people to work.
Here in Naples, and
in many other Italian regions as well,
they underpay you
or pay you under the table.
They pay bartenders 200 euros
plus the tips.
There are no stable jobs
that guarantee a decent pay
to support your family.
It may be OK when you're very young.
But if you get used to being underpaid
or paid under the table,
you'll accept it
when you are an adult too.
But if you have a family
and need a better pay
it's difficult to find a decent job.
Grown-ups are those from
whose mistakes you can learn.
By grown-ups you mean
parents, mothers, fathers...
Teachers.
Define "teachers".
Teachers value mistakes
in the first place.
Also, they value sharing
in the second place.
They have made mistakes and teach you
the importance of their mistakes.
I don't know. I usually
don't participate in such conversations.
Arguments that put adults against
youngsters are usually not valid.
People tend to overrate old times
because they don't
understand present times,
they don't want to keep up to date.
They don't want
to think about the future.
"I did what I could and that's it".
What's going on?
What's going on? Everything!
Every one of us, in his own little life,
can make something go on.
You really can't grasp it.
Our future is the consequence
of our present choices.
So...
if we make the right choices,
we'll get the future we want.
If we make the wrong choices,
we'll get the future we deserve.
What are your common fears?
Our common fears?
I don't know.
Maybe we fear bad luck.
We fear bad feelings.
Today Sara's words sound like a prophecy.
We went to the Feast of St. Anthony
patron saint of animals.
It's a sort of Carnival
where humans blend with beasts.
The youngsters couldn't remember
if it was a religious festival
or just a custom,
maybe practiced by their grandparents,
that they keep alive without knowing why.
We had barely started shooting,
making interviews,
taking the first notes
on our journey among young people.
Nobody knew
that in a few days our being together
would have changed completely.
We're in Cornaredo,
in the province of Milan.
This is the Olmo Cornaredo
Professional Institute.
Were you always passionate about cooking?
Yes.
I think that cooking
is one the most important things.
Food is life.
Did you used to watch your mom cook?
Sure. Especially my grandmas.
They were the first ones I watched cook.
It all started from them.
Do you think that
something has changed for you?
Some things we used to do with our friends
are not allowed anymore.
We don't amuse ourselves
the way we used to.
But this is how it is.
There's nothing you can do.
Do you think the Internet
and the social networks were useful?
It is now.
It is essential to keep
in touch with your friends
and distant relatives.
What do you miss the most?
To hang out with my friends,
the daily grind,
carefreeness,
not to have to think about tomorrow,
not to have to think
about color-coded areas.
- It's starting to take a toll on you.
- Yeah.
What will be your specialization?
Gourmet cooking, I hope.
OK, girls, before
your teachers leave, let's say...
bravo!
You are all great.
Tell me, Francesca,
how were the last months?
We first met a while ago.
These have been tough months.
We had some downfalls.
We cried, but then we recovered.
These have been bleak times.
You have been reading a lot.
You like to read.
What did you read?
A novel.
Which one?
'Me, You and the Sea'. A girl wrote it.
She used to have a Facebook page,
and then she made it as a writer.
What about you, Alisar?
Me?
The past months have been OK.
Because I was with them!
We're the same.
We like to read a lot.
That's why we always hang out together.
We're a team.
- You made progress with the language.
- Yes, I learned a lot.
They all speak Italian at school.
That's why I speak it well.
Have you learned the Neapolitan language?
A few words.
For example: "I don't want to",
"good",
"brother", "bye".
Is it correct?
What about you, Caterina?
Well...
We've all spent these months
in bed doing nothing.
That's true.
Nobody can deny it.
We spent them studying from 9 to 5.
5:30, sometimes 6.
Sometimes 6.
Then we had dinner.
- Eat, sleep...
- Study!
And you, who liked to travel?
Because of COVID I wasn't able to travel.
My father and I wanted to
travel together. I rarely see him.
We see each other only one month a year
because of his work.
My parents are divorced.
My mother doesn't want me to see him.
That's it.
Push!
Girls, you're finally hanging out together
after many months spent in isolation.
What now? What will be the world like
after the pandemic?
I think it will be based on...
intangible things.
I don't mean feelings,
I mean the Internet...
telephones...
and electronics
will be present in our everyday life.
Sure, the present world
is already full of advanced technologies.
But there will be even more. There will
be no personal relationships anymore,
like it was during the pandemic.
Like everyone else,
I'm scared of not being able to do...
We have had many expectations
since we were kids.
What if we're not able to fulfill them?
I think it's a common fear.
I mean suffering,
almost to the point of a disappointment.
Do you feel free?
I don't.
- Really?
- Yes.
Even you, Lisa? You seem so free.
Yes, I'm free.
Before you say or do anything,
you have to think about it.
Thoughts are often very different
from the things you say out loud.
You try to communicate your thoughts,
but you end up raising hell instead,
because people are hurt by your words
even if you think they are harmless.
You must weigh your words
to avoid hurting people.
Do you feel as free as your parents?
I feel less free.
They used to be reckless.
It might sound like a bad thing,
but it actually drove young people
to discover life on their own.
They were less inhibited,
from a practical point of view as well.
Nowadays fear looms over
all parents and families.
Fear used to be a good thing.
Fear is not what it used to be.
It has turned into anxiety.
I think social networks
gave us the final blow.
Being always connected is not healthy.
Minding other people's business
is fucking insane.
We keep exchanging information,
but nobody really cares.
You feel free,
but you're actually spending your life
talking to people who really don't care.
You're not doing things
in the real world.
It's a plague.
We'll see the outcome in ten years.
Social networks are seriously hurting us.
Can't we fight back? What can we do?
Just stop using them.
Stick to real life.
I stopped using them when
I realized that many young people
are under their influence,
not to say downtrodden by them.
Take Instagram, for example.
- Instagram above all!
- Yeah.
- Do you agree?
- Absolutely.
I don't use social networks.
It's much easier to play with Instagram
than to do something practical. No sweat.
Honestly...
I think he's crazy!
Honest!
Why do you think he's certifiable?
First thing in the morning,
you check Instagram.
First thing in the evening,
you check Facebook live events.
What if a boxing champion
streamed an Instagram live event?
Don't tell me you won't watch it!
What if they dismantle social networks?
They won't! People would freak out.
What's your dream future?
Since I was a child
I've always dreamed
of giving my mother a good life.
Since she was young, my mother
has always been looking after me
and my brothers.
She has been a mother and a father to me.
I want her to do
all the things she missed
in all those years.
She missed a lot of things.
My dream is to make her feel good.
It was a strange spring.
After months of isolation
we went on the road again,
from the shore of Lake Bolsena
to the outskirts of Rome,
from the small towns
around Naples to Palermo.
Taking advantage of the levity of summer,
youngsters flood parks.
They go outdoors.
They want to get rid
of the loneliness of the last months.
Guys,
how are you?
- Peachy.
- Everything's fine.
We're free!
I can see that
you're doing a lot of things.
- You're drawing.
- Always.
- These are graffiti.
- Yeah, we're coping.
What about your jobs?
Your future? Your jobs?
Big question marks!
We hope we find a job in our field.
We're all going to leave this place.
We feel the need to evolve away from here
so we can create the things...
I think that everyone here
wants to pursue their ideas
and create a job that fits our ideas.
- We don't want to work for money alone.
- We want to keep studying.
I don't want to become a middle-aged man
who's unhappy with his job.
I totally agree.
I want a job
that excites and gratifies me.
Some people
don't even try to do something.
Many people think
that the only thing to do
is to make ends meet.
Everyone should commit aim high.
I don't mean that they have to become
great artists or a star.
Society is built on people
who do normal jobs.
Sometimes it becomes oppressive.
A big part of our society is conditioned
by the necessity to work all life long
and has no time to use conceptual,
intellectual or physical tools
to demonstrate or protest.
Some people
don't even think about demonstrating.
And you don't even think about
becoming a baker.
Exactly, everyone has their own role.
But we're the ones
who must get more out of life.
People don't think about
their neighbor anymore.
People don't give a damn.
Everyone lives inside their own world.
That's really tragic.
There are people
who can't think of anything else
but their own patch of land,
their own space.
They can't go further.
But this is a collective society.
To deny this is very wrong.
It depends on your neighborhood.
For example,
recently I did a project in Danisinni.
It's a city neighborhood
that looks like a small town.
They don't use cars.
They only use horse carts.
Their economy is completely
different from the rest of the city.
It's very close to downtown,
but it's a completely different reality.
Some of them
have never left their neighborhood.
Talking about our future,
our dreams of working
in the art field and so forth
are obviously so far from the reality
of the kids from Danisinni.
They have completely
different perspectives.
There are less possibilities
of finding a middle ground with them.
Can you tell me something
about this place?
We're in Danisinni.
- What city are we in?
- Palermo.
- You're all from Palermo?
- Yeah.
What do you like to do?
Feed animals.
What is the future for you?
Do you ever think about work?
About a job, a profession?
Yes.
Do you ever picture yourself
as a grown-up?
Yes.
- What about you?
- I do.
How do you picture your future?
I hope to be lucky enough
to become a soccer player.
Wonderful.
Anastasia,
how do you picture your future?
- What would you like to become?
- A doctor.
You want to be a doctor?
How come?
Do you like it?
I really like to help people.
How's life here?
Beautiful.
Do you worry about getting a job?
Not right now.
I want to join the army.
You have a clear mind.
- Police or carabinieri?
- No, the army!
- What about the police?
- I don't like it.
I want to be a soldier.
- Has it always been your dream?
- Yeah.
- Do you like it?
- It's a nice job.
Is life more difficult for people
from this neighborhood?
No, it's not.
You just need to study
and keep your cool.
- What's missing here?
- A field.
A soccer field.
- You want a soccer field here?
- Yeah.
- Open to everyone?
- Sure.
Why is it missing?
There are no possibilities.
What's "possibility" for you?
No money, no funds.
Here in Danisinni Square
and Cortile Cascino,
state, constitution, justice and law
are no more than meaningless
names without substance.
During the last weeks
we learned to count.
It may seem taken for granted,
but that's exactly what we learned.
We learned
how to arrange objects from a finite set
without counting each one of them.
Here's the basic example we made.
Given the number of characters,
pages and so forth,
how many books are we able to write?
The number of volumes is
ten to the millionth power!
This is the number of all books,
approximately,
that can possibly be written.
One of these books
will tell the story of your life.
Another will be The Betrothed,
by Alessandro Manzoni,
or The Divine Comedy...
I've mentioned human knowledge.
We will get to it
when we talk about Borges.
But what I mean
is that everything
that mankind can express
is represented by a huge number,
but a finite number nonetheless.
It's bewildering.
People think that mankind must be able
to always say something new.
But the volumes
in the library that we've built
are a finite number.
What do you think of adults?
Adults are the people who rule the world.
We have so little power now.
Probably it will be the same
when we grow up.
That's why I think
adults think they're big people
but actually they're not.
Some of them are role models,
but youngsters can be models, too.
It depends on your choice.
To be an adult is not enough
to become an idol or a role model.
Models must have ideals
that people like and want to follow.
What do you think of adults?
Do they listen to young people?
Not always.
It's nice to listen to their stories,
but it doesn't mean
that our stories will be the same.
What's the future for you?
I think that the future
is a series of tomorrows.
I know what I will do
tomorrow, the next day.
I also know fairly well
what I'll do the day after tomorrow.
I don't precisely know
what I'll do next week.
But I know about tomorrow.
The point is, I don't know
what I'll do in ten years.
So this series of tomorrows
sort of fades away
until I can't see anything at all.
It falls apart.
It's up to me to rebuild my tomorrow.
I have a plan,
but I'm not sure it will work.
What if it doesn't come true?
I'd be upset.
So, my plan is to become an entrepreneur.
I want to inspire people
by doing the right things.
I want to invest
in renewable energies, for example,
and all the things
that help our environment.
I want Earth to be a better place,
to live longer. We're only guests here.
What about you?
The future is uncertain.
We know that our planet will blow up,
as all planets do.
When I think about tomorrow,
I can't think any concrete thoughts.
Anything can happen.
What scares you the most?
Not knowing what will happen.
- Uncertainty?
- Exactly.
The unknown.
Right.
Well, people have always had this fear.
It has always been this way.
It's just like
the way you feel about death
and all the things
that scare you the most.
I’m still afraid of death.
What about you, Giulietta?
- Have you got any hope for the future?
- Yes. My mother is a beautician.
She's teaching me
to do nails.
I already have a skill.
I love soccer,
I want to be a soccer player.
You all want to be soccer players!
Everybody dreams
of becoming a soccer player.
There are many soccer players, here.
Almost everyone.
It's a passion.
I've been dreaming to become a cook
since middle school.
I really want it.
I like to eat,
you can tell it from how big I am.
I hope this dream comes true.
I hope my parents help me
and don't make me change direction.
- What about you, Rosina?
- I want to work with famous people.
I want to do hair, manicure, make-up.
Things like that.
- I want to become a mechanic.
- Me too.
- You all want to be mechanics?
- No!
- Who doesn't want to be a mechanic?
- Me.
- What do you want to be?
- I want to study at conservatory.
To study music.
Gymnastics.
I see gymnastics in my future.
It drives me, it's my passion.
If there's something wrong,
I get over it at the gym.
Right now it's my biggest passion.
I want to be a criminologist
in forensic police.
I want to work in a lab.
I'm passionate about it
because I usually watch
mystery films with my grandma.
I have developed a passion for it.
It'll keep her memory alive.
To make my dreams come true
I want to find a proper job,
one which I like nonetheless.
- What job?
- A cop.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
I still want to become an actor.
Or to work in television anyway.
Why television?
I don't know.
I love everything about TV. Cameras...
It's my dream.
- Do you want to be famous?
- Yes.
What will happen when you come of age?
I'll be soon, in October.
December.
We'll leave our parents, thank God!
I already could, but...
- What do you want to do?
- Let's rent an apartment together.
- The three of us.
- Three bedrooms.
- Are you ready to leave?
- Sure.
It's about time!
I've been living at a friend of mine's
for three days.
I was constantly fighting with my mother.
I lived at my sister's for a year
because I couldn't stand my mother.
Good for you.
Guys, what about love?
Whatever happened to love as a goal?
Love is one of my goals!
That's my opinion!
My greatest fear
is not understanding
what I want to do.
I don't care about love.
It's the last thing for me.
Honestly I don't care
if I end up a single woman.
It's OK for me, actually.
I want a successful career
and to do all the cool things I like.
Then, I won't care about being single.
- Is success more important than love?
- Yes.
Are you serious?
I want to succeed
in the things I like to do.
And love... Well,
I'm not really interested in it.
What is success to you?
To become famous in my field.
To win important awards
and to be acknowledged.
To know that I'm good at what I do.
Does the future worry you?
If you watch talk shows on TV
you see that Italian politicians
don't care much for young people.
They're all about taxes, pensions,
immigration.
Why should I stay here?
It's not a country for me anymore.
If you travel the world,
everything seems more active.
Italian people look asleep.
It's not our fault.
Our society gives us neither
interests nor hints to start from.
What can you do to change this situation?
I've something in mind,
but it's not strictly about young people.
A tax reform.
- Really?
- Yes!
Do you really think
about tax reforms at night?
I think it could...
create new jobs
for us, too, in the future.
I think that Italian schools
are really good,
even compared to other countries
I think that education
in Italy is excellent.
I've nothing to say against it.
It's the first thing about my future
that comes to my mind.
Well...
Tax reform!
- You're the best in your class.
- Yes.
- Always?
- Yes.
They always give you a cockade.
- You get a cockade?
- Yes.
Sometimes they give me strips.
What kind of strips?
If you are good with multiplication
tables, they give you blue strips.
If you are good at reading,
they give you red strips.
For reading. What about the blue ones?
For multiplication tables.
- You have many strips.
- Yes!
- You collect strips.
- Yes.
- Are these our coffees?
- Yes.
- Give me that.
- Give the gentleman his coffee.
- Want some coffee?
- No, thanks.
- You don't drink coffee.
- I don't like it.
And rightly so. Thank you.
How much is coffee?
Help yourself, guys.
How much is coffee?
You mean the whole tray?
Yes, the whole tray.
7,20.
7,20!
- How much do they pay you?
- Ten years old.
He wants to know your pay!
400.
- 400 lira!
- Sure.
- It's a week's pay.
- Yes, a week's pay.
You mean 400 a day?
- Yes.
- A day?
Answer him!
- What's your name?
- Ciro.
We're at the Varazze Juvenile Shelter,
in the Liguria region.
You crossed borders,
traveled through nations
to take your future in your hands.
My idea was to reach Italy.
Nowhere else.
I wanted a better life.
I wanted to become
a soccer player, like Messi.
That's what I had in mind.
That's life.
Are you more afraid
of the past or the future?
The future doesn't scare me.
I've seen worse things.
It seems normal to me.
I'm trying to manage my life.
If I do it right,
the future won't scare me.
I have a normal life.
I don't want to go to the moon.
What if you suddenly
became head of state?
One day you wake up
and you're head of state.
You mean me?
What would you do?
What would you change in this country?
First thing, I'd build soccer fields
and all things for the youngsters.
There are young people
sleeping in the streets.
If I become head of state
I want to give people a better life.
We must all have the same life.
I know it's impossible.
But I'd really like it to happen.
Life shouldn't be only about surviving.
If I was the president,
I'd get rid of money.
Think about it. A world without money!
- Think about it.
- It would suck!
Why so? It would be normal.
It would suck!
- It'd be nice.
- No!
- People would be all the same.
- What would we do?
- What do you mean?
- Without money!
We can do everything!
They're just pieces of paper.
Sure, but they're important.
You've just said that you don't like
thieves! No money, no thieves.
That's what I'm saying!
It would be a better world.
Your idea sucks!
It's better the way it is.
We work, I'm the boss,
you work for me, I pay you.
- That's for the best.
- This is a wrong notion.
When you have money,
you think you're better than the rest.
No! I want us to work all together.
But you're the boss,
you're richer than them.
- That's wrong.
- No, that's for the best!
I think that there shouldn't be
difference between people.
- I agree with him.
- I don't.
Without money, you'll just have
to give land and a house to people.
They'll grow potatoes,
breed animals for meat.
- Everybody will help each other.
- People will survive, no rich, no poor.
We're all the same.
It's a wonderful thing.
If we're all the same,
the world won't work.
We need to work, that's it.
You work for me, I pay you.
Those who want a world
without money, raise their hands.
Winter came.
Summer made us believe
that the epidemic had disappeared.
But then it came back
stronger than before.
Closings, re-openings,
restrictions and prohibitions
marked our ongoing journey.
We explored the future of our youngsters
while a modern pandemic
changed their dreams and moods.
Unbeknownst to us,
this film was becoming
the diary of a plagued mood.
Morning boys, how are you?
Fine.
We finally managed
to kick tourists off Venice.
It took a heavy toll, though.
How do you feel about it?
How do your families and friends feel
about this empty Venice,
devoid of its purpose?
It was a one hundred percent
tourist city.
I feel very bad.
Most people in Venice
work in the tourism industry.
So now
we need to chase
all the tourists whom we've been missing.
Venice is one of a kind.
We're privileged to live on the water.
We move by boat, we row.
These things are out of reach
for most people, so to speak.
That's my opinion.
If the economy doesn't recover,
we can't stay here.
Do you think that your future is at risk?
An old saying goes,
"Money can't buy happiness".
That's not completely true.
If you find true love, for example,
but you're sleeping under a bridge,
you're not happy.
With money comes everything else.
You can afford everything.
So, our first goal is to make money.
Just like you need a job,
you need to make money.
It's a law of life.
Guys, can you tell me
how you picture
your future jobs?
This is my greatest worry.
I think jobs like these are fine for now.
But in a few years
they will become obsolete.
Look at these machines,
they've become useless.
Machines will handle tasks
that humans do today.
Many jobs will disappear
just like these machines did.
- What can you do about it?
- I'll become chief mechanic.
I don't really like
the idea of being an employee.
You spend your days in a factory.
I don't like it.
I've picked this school
because they ask us to decide our future
during the last year of middle school.
The things you study now
will be your job in the future.
I think they ask us to choose
too early in life.
On the last year of middle school
I wasn't old enough to choose.
I was unsure.
I took a last-minute decision.
And I ended up here.
It's not my dream job.
We've got our whole life ahead of us.
We can make our dreams come true.
I'm twenty years old.
Feeling sorry for myself because
I don't know what I want to do
or because I don't know
enough about myself yet...
Thanks to my educators I've come
to understand that this is not a problem.
School teachers tell you:
"You're graduating, we expect you
to know what you want to do next."
"Do you want to get a job
or go to the university?"
But it's not like that.
Yes, we've got
our whole life ahead of us.
But if you live
with a sister and a little niece
and there's only one working person,
another income would be great.
So I had to choose
between going to school
or getting a job.
But I saw that getting a degree,
or studying in general,
gives you more awareness
about your potential
and gives you the ability
to understand
if your employer is messing with you.
So, I'll wait before getting a job,
but not indefinitely.
I have to make ends meet.
We're at the Normale of Pisa.
You study and read a lot.
But our society
doesn't acknowledge
the value of study anymore.
What do you think about studying
and the sacrifices you're making?
Generally speaking,
to be free you need to study,
to have culture,
as predictable as it may seem.
Speaking of what I'm studying,
I study because
I have nothing else interesting to do.
Those who study
sciences of antiquity or philosophy
maybe...
OK, literature as well!
My personal opinion is that
people who study these disciplines
have the duty
to better understand the human being.
We are born into this world
without knowing who we are.
Each one of us can contribute
to understand why we are here on Earth.
Do current events worry you?
Quite! They do, honestly.
However, the Normale
is a place apart from the world.
There's less noise from the world.
They say that the more you study, the more
you understand how much you don't know.
That's true.
The more I study
the more I find it difficult
to judge things,
because I feel I lack knowledge.
In my opinion
there's not much hope for humanity.
Just think about the concentration camps
in North Korea and China.
Think about how they
treat immigrants, and so on.
They're making the same old mistakes.
I can do something about it,
but I have very little power,
so little that
everything I do will be useless.
Do you think that
there's something left to believe in?
We were talking about
swearing in the name of God...
I don't study philosophy.
I won't bring up the great
philosophers from the past, but...
You don't swear by God anymore.
You can't believe in God anymore,
so you need to believe in yourself.
It's the only possible form
of religion today.
This creed is both
religious and individualistic.
You make it on your own,
you don't listen to other people.
Sure, there is a bright side to it.
But still, it has been
drummed into our heads.
They hammered it into us.
Ours is a disillusioned generation.
Well, maybe we're self-justifying
so that we feel less guilty
about our lack of interest.
Anyway,
everything is suspended, petrified.
We don't really believe
we can do something.
I have been reading...
about Neoplatonic philosophers.
They described a multidimensional reality.
It's a beautiful notion.
Seeing how they imagined reality
makes you think about the potential
of our mind
and how it changes in time.
Our current idea of the world
can't be taken for granted.
THE YOUTH ARE GUILTY... AGAIN.
We're in Milan.
You occupied your high school.
Tell us about your worries.
Any country that doesn't invest on young
people doesn't provide stability.
I can't think about my future
knowing that I'm no one for my country.
I can't build my future
if they don't allow me
to live the present.
We are left with
unbridgeable shortcomings.
I haven't been learning
a thing for a year.
We lack socialization
as an incentive to education.
One of the most important
things in school
is socialization,
confrontation, exchange.
These are paramount factors
in allowing boys and girls
to grow up
on a personal and cultural level.
Since this mess started
they often blamed us young people.
Honestly,
it makes you think.
I find it ridiculous
that they put all the blame on us.
But if I look at the video recordings
of members of parliament,
they look like a bunch of hooligans.
They're embarrassing.
This country has many big problems.
People are at their wit's end.
They can't make ends meet.
Why doesn’t anyone talk
about the issues of young people?
Panic attacks and anxiety are raising.
There are young people who
cut themselves, harm themselves,
because they're depressed.
We're living inside a bubble.
Everything looks the same.
There's nothing to distract us
from what's happening.
I need to decide now
what I will do in the future.
I find it very difficult to decide.
You look at the available jobs
and you see only lack of opportunity.
You always need someone
who puts in a good word for you.
It is discouraging.
You lose hope in a better future.
I know it is an ugly thing to say,
but to better your social status
is very hard.
Some of my friends are lost.
Social injustice
needs to be better understood.
We're not discussing it enough.
I see privilege in schooling,
and that's a big problem.
This problem has been
troubling Italy since...
You can see it in Love Meetings,
by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
He went all over Italy
to gather the opinions of people.
There was a big gap
that needed to be filled,
because people weren't open-minded.
They mainly lacked education
and culture. People were ignorant.
The opportunity to grow through culture
is still a privilege nowadays.
But I think that everyone deserves it.
They said,
"Have you noticed it's raining outside?"
"Don't worry," I said,
"I'm going to get wet."
They're always looking for mistakes
But what about motivations?
Time kills hate but not distance
I don't want to miss a second
Of this shitty life
What does it mean to be weak?
Rocks in the middle of a creek
Are not so steady
Baby, I wish I could read your mind
Say my name
Maybe we're slaves to petty needs
What am I gonna do?
Just one word out of place
And I mess everything up
Our problems are real, they're no excuses
It's a six-figure mess
Let young people decide their future
But only if they stick to the past
They want evolution without revolution
But someone snatched the world away
The city is sick, power outage
They pulled the plug,
I see no alternatives
Except to transform myself
Into my own project
Ask yourself whose fault it is now
A ten-year-old boy imitates his idols
When he's eighteen
He only wants to express himself
When he's thirty he wants two children
I hope they won't be
Victims of your limits
This loudspeaker is one of our limits.
We're in Negar, near Verona.
Are you all musicians?
Yes, to some extent.
I'm very much into music.
Thanks to music,
me, Alessandro and Giosuè
have put together a group
and are pursuing our dream together.
We try to disprove a stereotype
about us young people.
They say that we always need
financial support from our parents.
But we want to be independent,
to be able to buy our parents dinner.
They worked hard to bring us up
in spite of an uncertain future.
All young people have the goal
to do something like that
whether they want to make art
or anything else.
Do you feel in debt with your parents?
It has something to do
with a notion they taught us,
"Give, and you will receive".
We have received something
from our parents
and now we feel the duty
to give something back,
both on a moral and financial level.
I think we all dream of making it
so that our parents
can retire before their time
and live the rest of their life
without worrying about providing for us.
What are your feelings towards adults?
Do you get on well with them
or are you in conflict with them?
It depends.
- What about your parents?
- I get on well with them.
Right.
They support my passion
and are always close to me.
They qualify for sainthood.
- Yeah!
- They bend over their backs.
Is there anything from the adult world
that you don't like?
Racism and all the things
that are happening right now,
like violence against women.
It's a thing of the past.
Well, it was wrong even in the past!
- It's old people's business.
- Right.
No use to keep doing
these horrible actions.
What does unite us?
Or what is supposed to unite us?
The law.
- You trust the law.
- Yes.
You don't do what's forbidden.
You just don't.
You do what you're allowed
to do, have fun doing it
and live a full life.
Who wrote the laws you're talking about?
People who want to protect us.
We trust them because
they want to keep us safe.
You are young. Don't you ever
feel like breaking the mold?
Honestly I don't.
I like it this way. I'm happy this way.
Why should I do something to harm myself?
There are...
several...
actions that bring negativity to you.
You are singing
such an ancient piece of music.
Are you in continuity with the past?
Or is there something
you want to rebel against?
It's right to rebel.
Yet you need to think
about your community.
You need to respect
those who think differently than you.
You can't force your ideas.
Everybody should be allowed
to express their thoughts
politely.
Violent protests
that don't respect other people
and the notion that other people's ideas
are inherently wrong
is not the right way to get an answer.
You always need
to evaluate every situation
and be open to the world.
Then you can think
and form your own opinion.
And fight for your ideas.
As a choir, you listen to each other.
Yes.
The single elements are less important
than the ensemble.
It's a way to have fun
and get rid of the burden
of present days.
Since I'm here,
for me it is difficult not to think
that twenty years ago,
here in the city of Genoa,
thousands of young people like you,
coming from all over the world,
during the G8 Forum asked
the powerful people of the world
to change the direction
of politics and economy.
What do you think of those days
and the fact that they were worried
about the future of our planet?
Do you know what happened
in Genoa during G8?
Can I ask a stupid question?
When did that happen?
In 2001.
We were all born between 2002 and 2003.
- I was born in 2004!
- Really?
- The G8 incident happened in our school.
- Sorry?
The G8 raid
happened inside our high school.
In Diaz School.
- Did they tell you something about it?
- No.
We all know what happened.
But I don't think we're expert enough
to answer your question on camera.
Do you know what happened
in Genoa 20 years ago?
Something happened inside
the Diaz School, your school.
- It was a terrible thing.
- I think...
It shouldn't have happened.
The most scary thing is
that it could happen again.
Sometimes you walk by Piazza De Ferrari
and you see young people protesting
for the environment
or for the reopening of schools,
and they're controlled by
police patrols and armored vans.
- It's shocking.
- You should never cross the line.
This is not about whose side are you on.
The whole thing was over the top.
Young people like us should look at this
to avoid doing the same thing again.
Whether you become
a protester or a policeman,
do not cross the line.
Or things will end like this.
You need to walk the fine line
between transgression and normality.
I mean "normality" in a general sense.
That's the line you want to walk.
This way you allow yourself
to fully live your life
and leave your problems behind.
A mild transgression is OK,
but you don't want to overdo it,
because you eventually end up
losing control, in my opinion.
- Right.
- If everyone transgresses
the basic rules, so to speak,
it will end up
in anarchy and chaos...
in my opinion.
It's an absolutely peaceful
and creative demonstration.
Yet it is lively and cheerful.
As a movement, they're responding
with creativity, intelligence
and freshness.
We're like the moon, we turn the tide...
Let's hear from Alessandro Leogrande.
What's going on, Alessandro?
I'm on Corso Italia.
Tension arises
as some Black bloc protesters
are now leading the manifestation
They tried to break police cordons
towards Piazza Kennedy, where
the center of the demonstration is.
Get out of here!
The world is watching us!
Don't you have a fucking family?
Don't you have children?
What the fuck did you do?
How dare you?
For me the future...
First thing first, my day starts
in the morning, when I wake up.
Usually I don't make plans.
I wake up and live, basically.
I haven't made any particular plan.
My actual plan is to become
completely independent,
even if I don't have nothing.
I don't give a damn about money!
I'd rather live in a shack on the beach.
I think it'd be good.
I really can't stand authority.
Police and things like these
really scare me.
I've always had problems with authority.
It makes me anxious.
We need to talk about it.
Adults should be brought up to date
on how to relate to young people.
The world is changing.
The way people speak is changing,
ideas are changing.
But adults don't feel the need to change
as much as young people do.
The same thing can be said
about the interests of young people.
There are things
that interest almost all young people,
and we do them all the same,
but we do them secretly
because they're anxious...
- They want to control you?
- Yes.
You know what I mean?
Fear and anxiety
are more of an adult thing.
They fear and worry for us.
In a way, they know that
we have the power to make it.
We're full of energy.
Like they once were.
It's a recurrent thing.
It's our damn turn now!
We have energy and all that we need.
We're willing to go.
Who gives a damn about fears?
While we traveled our country
and met these young people
we asked ourselves what will they think
of this film in twenty years.
They will see it as an archive
that questions the future.
A time that doesn't exist yet.
An imaginary land.
A land of theft, that many want
to manipulate, pollute, conquer
and treat as if it was merchandise.
But imagination is also
the land of surprises and encounters.
The land of a utopia,
fed by thousands of generations,
that is to lead, one day,
at last,
an existence without poverty,
barbarity and fear.
The land of endless desires.
WE WHO DESIRE ENDLESSLY
WE ARE THE CHILDREN
OF A DEVASTATED WORLD,
WHO TRY TO BE REBORN
IN A WORLD TO BE CREATED.
LEARNING TO BECOME HUMAN
IS THE ONLY RADICALITY.
TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT,
TO WANT WHAT YOU KNOW.
HERE'S THE SECRET TO AUTONOMY
AND THE ONLY PRINCIPLE OF AN EDUCATION
WHERE YOU HAVE TO LEARN
TO LEARN ON YOUR OWN.
Subtitles: Luca Persiani
Do you want a braid?
Meet Peppe.
- He's lovely!
- Look.
How come you are breeding him?
His mother had left him.
He wasn't able to hatch out of his egg
because of a broken foot.
So...
we opened the egg and Peppe was there!
Let us see him!
He runs away.
I'm putting you in the water.
He doesn't go in the water alone.
He always wants me to watch over him.
If there’s something worth telling,
it’s that we decided to join together
to make a film
and travel through Italy,
our "bel paese", "beautiful country",
if you can still call it that.
We met in early 2020.
It was winter and we ventured out.
We asked groups of young people
how they imagined their future.
But what do we mean by "young people"?
They're not children anymore
but not yet adults.
They're struggling with
the difficult task of becoming adults.
They're sort of supernatural creatures,
Those Who Are Becoming.
What will they become?
Do we see ourselves in them today?
What have you done to the engine?
I modified the cylinder kit.
That is the cylinder head and the piston.
I changed the muffle,
the carburetor and the open filter.
- Where do you find the money?
- Our parents give it to us.
Why do your parents give you money?
They think that
if I spend money on the Ape car
I won't spend it on smoking or drinking.
Speaking for myself.
Andrea's grandparents
give him money to do chores.
He's kinda spoiled, though.
He only works for tips!
That's how he bought his car.
So,
what is the future?
What's the future for you?
Our future is to live with...
To have a family,
live with the man you love,
have children, be independent.
Be happy.
- To be happy is the main thing.
- Get married.
- Be responsible.
- Have many projects.
- Work.
- That's the main thing.
Men must provide for the family.
Women must be independent
for their own sake.
- I don't think so.
- Men must provide!
Everyone should work.
Why shouldn't women work?
- They take care of the house.
- And children.
That's what I said.
Women must work
to be financially independent as well.
I said that women should work as well.
Any goals?
Sure.
- What are your goals?
- I have many.
- Tell me.
- To become a professional beautician.
To set up shop.
To travel.
To always move around.
To become a makeup artist.
- To travel?
- Yeah.
Do you ever travel?
- A little.
- Often.
- Have you ever traveled through Italy?
- Yes.
What do you think of Italy?
- There's no future in Italy.
- Exactly.
- No future for you here?
- No.
- Isn't this scary?
- Sure.
What about you?
I wish that in the future...
people will stop discriminating...
...stop discriminating...
...people who are not like them.
People who are slightly different.
I want to know
other countries and cultures.
Those who are sexually different.
Everyone should be free
to love whomever they choose.
Don't judge other peoples' lives.
What are you thinking, Caterina?
Like, it’s hard to be a lesbian
in our society.
They're always being judged.
Do you feel judged?
Yes, I do.
I don't know.
It doesn't really affect me.
You get used to it.
- You mean rudeness?
- Yeah.
You become rude too.
I've chosen this one.
It shows a hand trying to mark a wall.
I feel like this right now.
I want to leave a mark,
be it by studying
or by doing the things I love
or I'll do in the future.
I picked this one.
It's a man in a suit
with stones on his shoulders.
I've picked this one because
when I see a sharp dressed man
I think he must be successful
and without worries.
The stones represent
the worries hidden behind the suit.
I don't dress this way,
but I always come across
as a cheerful, easygoing guy.
So people might think
that I have no fears.
But I actually have
many worries on my shoulders.
Some of them concern
my relationship with people.
I've picked two pictures.
This one
and this one.
I've picked this one
because I really couldn't care less
about people judging me.
What's the world?
I really couldn't care less
about their observations.
I smoke a cigarette
and blow it in your face!
I don't care about what you think of me.
This one means that you must not
break down when someone judges you.
It makes you stronger.
These two pictures really represent me.
They're nice photographs.
I'm the best featherweight around.
You mean lightweight!
Sure, lightweight.
- What about your future?
- Well...
I'll become a professional.
Otherwise, what's the use of training?
No plan b?
Join the army.
I will enlist for sure.
It's my childhood dream.
Will you stay in Italy?
I want to leave. This is a bad place.
There's nothing for me here.
Where will you go?
Anywhere else!
I don't think I'll find happiness here.
What's your relationship with Italy?
For me it's the best place in the world.
Speaking about...
sea and tourism,
Italy is one of the best
countries in the world.
Speaking about money, jobs
and boxing you certainly need to leave.
Here you are not able
to compete on an international level.
Soccer is the only sport, here.
All other sports
are considered less worthy.
I hate soccer players!
They earn millions just to kick a ball.
Construction workers
work their butts off twelve hours a day.
They start early in the morning
to earn pennies.
I don't like it.
What can you do about it?
You should give more money to the worthy,
the people who work their butts off.
You should give less money
to people who practice useless sports!
Well, they're not
actually useless, but...
Do you guys agree with him?
They should pay players less.
They have fun and earn millions
while there are people who...
What if they gave
that kind of money to you?
I wouldn't complain about it!
Will young people like you
be able to change things?
There is strength in numbers!
People should act united.
We can't do much otherwise.
What do you mean by "people"?
The entire nation should rise up!
- And protest along with you?
- Yes.
- Why don't you build a movement?
- How?
I'm busy.
What if I fail?
Failure scares me.
- You should at least try.
- Well...
We don't mess around anymore
like when we were fourteen.
What do you mean?
Messing around like today,
and other stuff.
So youth is a thing of the past for you?
Well, not yet. But it's on its way to be.
How do you picture
your future in the adult world?
First of all, I'll have to find a job.
Work will be time-consuming.
Now we go to school in the morning.
But after school and during holidays
we have time to do what we do now.
We won't be able to do it
when we get a job.
This future looks like a death warrant!
Does it scare you?
We're afraid of losing our friends.
Not to hang out together anymore.
Well, I don't think that we won't...
It's entirely possible that we part ways.
This is a small town.
There are not many jobs here.
So if you want a job
you have to leave.
Would you rather stay
here in Umbria or leave?
I'd rather stay here or nearby,
or go to work elsewhere during the day
and come back at night.
You publish a magazine that's
committed to the issues of young people.
How do you picture your own future?
I think that to stay
in Italy is not the answer.
It only makes you feel safe.
I'm thinking of spending
some years abroad and traveling around.
Italy has many issues right now.
But if you never experience life
outside Italy, you can't change Italy.
There's a lot of talk about patriotism,
nationalism, homeland.
The most patriotic thing you can do
is send your child abroad to study.
If you only experience life in Italy,
you'll never be able to change things.
Do you think
only privileged people leave Italy?
Not necessarily.
If you want to take a risk and learn,
then you go abroad.
It doesn't matter
if you don't have any money.
Not everyone wants to keep studying.
You can travel abroad
and stay in another country
even if your family
doesn't help you financially.
It's not reserved to an elite.
It's a personal choice
that defines your path in life.
The present should address
concrete problems.
When I read newspapers or watch TV,
they often tackle fake issues
that are far from the everyday grind
of students like us
and workers.
Like what?
This is out of my personal experience.
Precariousness is a big issue.
In both work and life.
They often tell us
that we're free to choose.
But in fact we're not.
If I want a house and a child,
I need money.
If I don't have it,
I'm not free to choose.
I'm forced not to have these things.
In the future
our society will become
more and more individualist.
People won't care for neighbors anymore.
They will care only for themselves.
I don't see a bright future for us.
Things must change now.
Our world is decaying.
Parks, schools, jobs and common resources
are losing their meaning and power.
So, we simply have to work
to modernize all this.
Guys, we want to know if our future
is an individual or a collective issue.
You're used to live
in a collective environment.
How do you picture your future?
It will be a difficult future.
It won't be a better future.
Yet it might become better than today,
like it has in the past.
How do you picture your future?
A job, a car, a flat.
Later, a family.
These are the steps.
- So, there are steps.
- Yes.
Do you think that your future
will be different from the one
your parents imagined?
Yes.
For better or for worse?
For better, I think.
When they were our age
they got married early.
They weren't allowed to do many things.
It's completely different today.
You can hang out with your girlfriend.
You can hang out
with Italian people. No big deal.
You can invite friends at home.
If you don't want to marry,
it's no big deal.
I think that young people today
are good for nothing.
They always need their parents
to provide for them.
They're good for nothing!
Our parents were different.
They did everything,
they didn't need any support.
At twenty they already
had children, a home,
a car, everything.
We're Romani, but today
we feel more like we're Italian!
At least in that respect.
We've become too lazy.
What are they doing?
Young people versus old people?
This tractor was my grandfather's.
Then it became my father's
and now it's mine.
If I ever become a father,
it will be my children's.
If I ever become a father,
I'll have my children farm with me.
I'll teach them to drive tractors.
I'll teach them to work plows,
cutters, mowers.
Why so?
Go home!
I like to work.
I'll teach my sons
and daughters to work too.
Not everybody knows how to farm.
If agriculture dies, the world is over.
Everything is over.
Everything revolves around agriculture.
Fifty years ago,
the majority of Italian boys
used to live like you.
- Now you're part of a minority.
- Yes.
This is because society
and high technology
drove people away from working the land,
especially fifteen-year-old boys.
Will it be easy for you to keep working
the land here in Tuscany?
I don't know yet.
Many people are advising me
against doing this job.
It's not profitable, they say.
I do have plans, but they're still foggy.
What do you think
Lorenzo's future will be?
I want him to study. Then we'll see.
That's the main thing.
First you have to study.
Then you'll make your choice.
Is there a relationship between
courses of study and jobs?
Hardly. To work here
you don't need to study.
Maybe mathematics.
- Maybe some knowledge...
- You can practice a little and then see.
You'll choose after school.
Do you like school?
Yes.
So and so.
Kids, I beg your pardon.
Are there books in your homes?
Be honest, please.
- Do you have books?
- I do.
Do you?
What kind of books?
Collection of stories,
text books, and so on.
- What about the others?
- Durfort's Carol.
- What's that?
- An entire collection of stories.
- You mean one entire story.
- Yes.
Who wrote it?
I don't remember.
- You're older than him. What about you?
- I have text books.
I love the Odyssey.
It's about the adventures of Ulysses.
He went to Ogygia Island.
Calypso detained him there.
Can you recite a poem?
- What's the title?
- San Martino.
- Who wrote it?
- Giosuè Carducci.
Recite it slowly.
Go.
"The fog to the steep hills
amid the rain ascends,
and under the mistral
the sea screams and whitens..."
- Is it about the Adriatic Sea?
- No, the Tyrrhenian Sea.
- The Volturno river flows into it.
- Yes.
- Goodbye, kids.
- See you.
Montesanto, Naples.
You guys were raised in this neighborhood
and want to become actors.
What are education,
study and culture to you?
You don't need school here in Naples.
I mean, you don't need it to find a job.
It's good for knowledge.
A degree won't help you find a job.
I don't need it to wash dishes.
Five years of high school
and then you end up washing dishes!
Yet I want to be an actor.
I need culture.
I need to know a lot of things.
Education is knowledge.
It helps you to get over
the fear of the unknown.
If someone asks you
questions of general knowledge
you know the answer
and you don't make a bad impression.
I think that culture is knowledge.
People who want to study
should have the right to.
They should be able to keep
studying after high school.
- Is there such a right?
- No.
Definitely not.
Well,
not everyone can afford university.
There are young people
who really want to keep studying,
but are not wealthy.
So they can't.
They don't want young people to work.
Here in Naples, and
in many other Italian regions as well,
they underpay you
or pay you under the table.
They pay bartenders 200 euros
plus the tips.
There are no stable jobs
that guarantee a decent pay
to support your family.
It may be OK when you're very young.
But if you get used to being underpaid
or paid under the table,
you'll accept it
when you are an adult too.
But if you have a family
and need a better pay
it's difficult to find a decent job.
Grown-ups are those from
whose mistakes you can learn.
By grown-ups you mean
parents, mothers, fathers...
Teachers.
Define "teachers".
Teachers value mistakes
in the first place.
Also, they value sharing
in the second place.
They have made mistakes and teach you
the importance of their mistakes.
I don't know. I usually
don't participate in such conversations.
Arguments that put adults against
youngsters are usually not valid.
People tend to overrate old times
because they don't
understand present times,
they don't want to keep up to date.
They don't want
to think about the future.
"I did what I could and that's it".
What's going on?
What's going on? Everything!
Every one of us, in his own little life,
can make something go on.
You really can't grasp it.
Our future is the consequence
of our present choices.
So...
if we make the right choices,
we'll get the future we want.
If we make the wrong choices,
we'll get the future we deserve.
What are your common fears?
Our common fears?
I don't know.
Maybe we fear bad luck.
We fear bad feelings.
Today Sara's words sound like a prophecy.
We went to the Feast of St. Anthony
patron saint of animals.
It's a sort of Carnival
where humans blend with beasts.
The youngsters couldn't remember
if it was a religious festival
or just a custom,
maybe practiced by their grandparents,
that they keep alive without knowing why.
We had barely started shooting,
making interviews,
taking the first notes
on our journey among young people.
Nobody knew
that in a few days our being together
would have changed completely.
We're in Cornaredo,
in the province of Milan.
This is the Olmo Cornaredo
Professional Institute.
Were you always passionate about cooking?
Yes.
I think that cooking
is one the most important things.
Food is life.
Did you used to watch your mom cook?
Sure. Especially my grandmas.
They were the first ones I watched cook.
It all started from them.
Do you think that
something has changed for you?
Some things we used to do with our friends
are not allowed anymore.
We don't amuse ourselves
the way we used to.
But this is how it is.
There's nothing you can do.
Do you think the Internet
and the social networks were useful?
It is now.
It is essential to keep
in touch with your friends
and distant relatives.
What do you miss the most?
To hang out with my friends,
the daily grind,
carefreeness,
not to have to think about tomorrow,
not to have to think
about color-coded areas.
- It's starting to take a toll on you.
- Yeah.
What will be your specialization?
Gourmet cooking, I hope.
OK, girls, before
your teachers leave, let's say...
bravo!
You are all great.
Tell me, Francesca,
how were the last months?
We first met a while ago.
These have been tough months.
We had some downfalls.
We cried, but then we recovered.
These have been bleak times.
You have been reading a lot.
You like to read.
What did you read?
A novel.
Which one?
'Me, You and the Sea'. A girl wrote it.
She used to have a Facebook page,
and then she made it as a writer.
What about you, Alisar?
Me?
The past months have been OK.
Because I was with them!
We're the same.
We like to read a lot.
That's why we always hang out together.
We're a team.
- You made progress with the language.
- Yes, I learned a lot.
They all speak Italian at school.
That's why I speak it well.
Have you learned the Neapolitan language?
A few words.
For example: "I don't want to",
"good",
"brother", "bye".
Is it correct?
What about you, Caterina?
Well...
We've all spent these months
in bed doing nothing.
That's true.
Nobody can deny it.
We spent them studying from 9 to 5.
5:30, sometimes 6.
Sometimes 6.
Then we had dinner.
- Eat, sleep...
- Study!
And you, who liked to travel?
Because of COVID I wasn't able to travel.
My father and I wanted to
travel together. I rarely see him.
We see each other only one month a year
because of his work.
My parents are divorced.
My mother doesn't want me to see him.
That's it.
Push!
Girls, you're finally hanging out together
after many months spent in isolation.
What now? What will be the world like
after the pandemic?
I think it will be based on...
intangible things.
I don't mean feelings,
I mean the Internet...
telephones...
and electronics
will be present in our everyday life.
Sure, the present world
is already full of advanced technologies.
But there will be even more. There will
be no personal relationships anymore,
like it was during the pandemic.
Like everyone else,
I'm scared of not being able to do...
We have had many expectations
since we were kids.
What if we're not able to fulfill them?
I think it's a common fear.
I mean suffering,
almost to the point of a disappointment.
Do you feel free?
I don't.
- Really?
- Yes.
Even you, Lisa? You seem so free.
Yes, I'm free.
Before you say or do anything,
you have to think about it.
Thoughts are often very different
from the things you say out loud.
You try to communicate your thoughts,
but you end up raising hell instead,
because people are hurt by your words
even if you think they are harmless.
You must weigh your words
to avoid hurting people.
Do you feel as free as your parents?
I feel less free.
They used to be reckless.
It might sound like a bad thing,
but it actually drove young people
to discover life on their own.
They were less inhibited,
from a practical point of view as well.
Nowadays fear looms over
all parents and families.
Fear used to be a good thing.
Fear is not what it used to be.
It has turned into anxiety.
I think social networks
gave us the final blow.
Being always connected is not healthy.
Minding other people's business
is fucking insane.
We keep exchanging information,
but nobody really cares.
You feel free,
but you're actually spending your life
talking to people who really don't care.
You're not doing things
in the real world.
It's a plague.
We'll see the outcome in ten years.
Social networks are seriously hurting us.
Can't we fight back? What can we do?
Just stop using them.
Stick to real life.
I stopped using them when
I realized that many young people
are under their influence,
not to say downtrodden by them.
Take Instagram, for example.
- Instagram above all!
- Yeah.
- Do you agree?
- Absolutely.
I don't use social networks.
It's much easier to play with Instagram
than to do something practical. No sweat.
Honestly...
I think he's crazy!
Honest!
Why do you think he's certifiable?
First thing in the morning,
you check Instagram.
First thing in the evening,
you check Facebook live events.
What if a boxing champion
streamed an Instagram live event?
Don't tell me you won't watch it!
What if they dismantle social networks?
They won't! People would freak out.
What's your dream future?
Since I was a child
I've always dreamed
of giving my mother a good life.
Since she was young, my mother
has always been looking after me
and my brothers.
She has been a mother and a father to me.
I want her to do
all the things she missed
in all those years.
She missed a lot of things.
My dream is to make her feel good.
It was a strange spring.
After months of isolation
we went on the road again,
from the shore of Lake Bolsena
to the outskirts of Rome,
from the small towns
around Naples to Palermo.
Taking advantage of the levity of summer,
youngsters flood parks.
They go outdoors.
They want to get rid
of the loneliness of the last months.
Guys,
how are you?
- Peachy.
- Everything's fine.
We're free!
I can see that
you're doing a lot of things.
- You're drawing.
- Always.
- These are graffiti.
- Yeah, we're coping.
What about your jobs?
Your future? Your jobs?
Big question marks!
We hope we find a job in our field.
We're all going to leave this place.
We feel the need to evolve away from here
so we can create the things...
I think that everyone here
wants to pursue their ideas
and create a job that fits our ideas.
- We don't want to work for money alone.
- We want to keep studying.
I don't want to become a middle-aged man
who's unhappy with his job.
I totally agree.
I want a job
that excites and gratifies me.
Some people
don't even try to do something.
Many people think
that the only thing to do
is to make ends meet.
Everyone should commit aim high.
I don't mean that they have to become
great artists or a star.
Society is built on people
who do normal jobs.
Sometimes it becomes oppressive.
A big part of our society is conditioned
by the necessity to work all life long
and has no time to use conceptual,
intellectual or physical tools
to demonstrate or protest.
Some people
don't even think about demonstrating.
And you don't even think about
becoming a baker.
Exactly, everyone has their own role.
But we're the ones
who must get more out of life.
People don't think about
their neighbor anymore.
People don't give a damn.
Everyone lives inside their own world.
That's really tragic.
There are people
who can't think of anything else
but their own patch of land,
their own space.
They can't go further.
But this is a collective society.
To deny this is very wrong.
It depends on your neighborhood.
For example,
recently I did a project in Danisinni.
It's a city neighborhood
that looks like a small town.
They don't use cars.
They only use horse carts.
Their economy is completely
different from the rest of the city.
It's very close to downtown,
but it's a completely different reality.
Some of them
have never left their neighborhood.
Talking about our future,
our dreams of working
in the art field and so forth
are obviously so far from the reality
of the kids from Danisinni.
They have completely
different perspectives.
There are less possibilities
of finding a middle ground with them.
Can you tell me something
about this place?
We're in Danisinni.
- What city are we in?
- Palermo.
- You're all from Palermo?
- Yeah.
What do you like to do?
Feed animals.
What is the future for you?
Do you ever think about work?
About a job, a profession?
Yes.
Do you ever picture yourself
as a grown-up?
Yes.
- What about you?
- I do.
How do you picture your future?
I hope to be lucky enough
to become a soccer player.
Wonderful.
Anastasia,
how do you picture your future?
- What would you like to become?
- A doctor.
You want to be a doctor?
How come?
Do you like it?
I really like to help people.
How's life here?
Beautiful.
Do you worry about getting a job?
Not right now.
I want to join the army.
You have a clear mind.
- Police or carabinieri?
- No, the army!
- What about the police?
- I don't like it.
I want to be a soldier.
- Has it always been your dream?
- Yeah.
- Do you like it?
- It's a nice job.
Is life more difficult for people
from this neighborhood?
No, it's not.
You just need to study
and keep your cool.
- What's missing here?
- A field.
A soccer field.
- You want a soccer field here?
- Yeah.
- Open to everyone?
- Sure.
Why is it missing?
There are no possibilities.
What's "possibility" for you?
No money, no funds.
Here in Danisinni Square
and Cortile Cascino,
state, constitution, justice and law
are no more than meaningless
names without substance.
During the last weeks
we learned to count.
It may seem taken for granted,
but that's exactly what we learned.
We learned
how to arrange objects from a finite set
without counting each one of them.
Here's the basic example we made.
Given the number of characters,
pages and so forth,
how many books are we able to write?
The number of volumes is
ten to the millionth power!
This is the number of all books,
approximately,
that can possibly be written.
One of these books
will tell the story of your life.
Another will be The Betrothed,
by Alessandro Manzoni,
or The Divine Comedy...
I've mentioned human knowledge.
We will get to it
when we talk about Borges.
But what I mean
is that everything
that mankind can express
is represented by a huge number,
but a finite number nonetheless.
It's bewildering.
People think that mankind must be able
to always say something new.
But the volumes
in the library that we've built
are a finite number.
What do you think of adults?
Adults are the people who rule the world.
We have so little power now.
Probably it will be the same
when we grow up.
That's why I think
adults think they're big people
but actually they're not.
Some of them are role models,
but youngsters can be models, too.
It depends on your choice.
To be an adult is not enough
to become an idol or a role model.
Models must have ideals
that people like and want to follow.
What do you think of adults?
Do they listen to young people?
Not always.
It's nice to listen to their stories,
but it doesn't mean
that our stories will be the same.
What's the future for you?
I think that the future
is a series of tomorrows.
I know what I will do
tomorrow, the next day.
I also know fairly well
what I'll do the day after tomorrow.
I don't precisely know
what I'll do next week.
But I know about tomorrow.
The point is, I don't know
what I'll do in ten years.
So this series of tomorrows
sort of fades away
until I can't see anything at all.
It falls apart.
It's up to me to rebuild my tomorrow.
I have a plan,
but I'm not sure it will work.
What if it doesn't come true?
I'd be upset.
So, my plan is to become an entrepreneur.
I want to inspire people
by doing the right things.
I want to invest
in renewable energies, for example,
and all the things
that help our environment.
I want Earth to be a better place,
to live longer. We're only guests here.
What about you?
The future is uncertain.
We know that our planet will blow up,
as all planets do.
When I think about tomorrow,
I can't think any concrete thoughts.
Anything can happen.
What scares you the most?
Not knowing what will happen.
- Uncertainty?
- Exactly.
The unknown.
Right.
Well, people have always had this fear.
It has always been this way.
It's just like
the way you feel about death
and all the things
that scare you the most.
I’m still afraid of death.
What about you, Giulietta?
- Have you got any hope for the future?
- Yes. My mother is a beautician.
She's teaching me
to do nails.
I already have a skill.
I love soccer,
I want to be a soccer player.
You all want to be soccer players!
Everybody dreams
of becoming a soccer player.
There are many soccer players, here.
Almost everyone.
It's a passion.
I've been dreaming to become a cook
since middle school.
I really want it.
I like to eat,
you can tell it from how big I am.
I hope this dream comes true.
I hope my parents help me
and don't make me change direction.
- What about you, Rosina?
- I want to work with famous people.
I want to do hair, manicure, make-up.
Things like that.
- I want to become a mechanic.
- Me too.
- You all want to be mechanics?
- No!
- Who doesn't want to be a mechanic?
- Me.
- What do you want to be?
- I want to study at conservatory.
To study music.
Gymnastics.
I see gymnastics in my future.
It drives me, it's my passion.
If there's something wrong,
I get over it at the gym.
Right now it's my biggest passion.
I want to be a criminologist
in forensic police.
I want to work in a lab.
I'm passionate about it
because I usually watch
mystery films with my grandma.
I have developed a passion for it.
It'll keep her memory alive.
To make my dreams come true
I want to find a proper job,
one which I like nonetheless.
- What job?
- A cop.
- Oh.
- Yeah.
I still want to become an actor.
Or to work in television anyway.
Why television?
I don't know.
I love everything about TV. Cameras...
It's my dream.
- Do you want to be famous?
- Yes.
What will happen when you come of age?
I'll be soon, in October.
December.
We'll leave our parents, thank God!
I already could, but...
- What do you want to do?
- Let's rent an apartment together.
- The three of us.
- Three bedrooms.
- Are you ready to leave?
- Sure.
It's about time!
I've been living at a friend of mine's
for three days.
I was constantly fighting with my mother.
I lived at my sister's for a year
because I couldn't stand my mother.
Good for you.
Guys, what about love?
Whatever happened to love as a goal?
Love is one of my goals!
That's my opinion!
My greatest fear
is not understanding
what I want to do.
I don't care about love.
It's the last thing for me.
Honestly I don't care
if I end up a single woman.
It's OK for me, actually.
I want a successful career
and to do all the cool things I like.
Then, I won't care about being single.
- Is success more important than love?
- Yes.
Are you serious?
I want to succeed
in the things I like to do.
And love... Well,
I'm not really interested in it.
What is success to you?
To become famous in my field.
To win important awards
and to be acknowledged.
To know that I'm good at what I do.
Does the future worry you?
If you watch talk shows on TV
you see that Italian politicians
don't care much for young people.
They're all about taxes, pensions,
immigration.
Why should I stay here?
It's not a country for me anymore.
If you travel the world,
everything seems more active.
Italian people look asleep.
It's not our fault.
Our society gives us neither
interests nor hints to start from.
What can you do to change this situation?
I've something in mind,
but it's not strictly about young people.
A tax reform.
- Really?
- Yes!
Do you really think
about tax reforms at night?
I think it could...
create new jobs
for us, too, in the future.
I think that Italian schools
are really good,
even compared to other countries
I think that education
in Italy is excellent.
I've nothing to say against it.
It's the first thing about my future
that comes to my mind.
Well...
Tax reform!
- You're the best in your class.
- Yes.
- Always?
- Yes.
They always give you a cockade.
- You get a cockade?
- Yes.
Sometimes they give me strips.
What kind of strips?
If you are good with multiplication
tables, they give you blue strips.
If you are good at reading,
they give you red strips.
For reading. What about the blue ones?
For multiplication tables.
- You have many strips.
- Yes!
- You collect strips.
- Yes.
- Are these our coffees?
- Yes.
- Give me that.
- Give the gentleman his coffee.
- Want some coffee?
- No, thanks.
- You don't drink coffee.
- I don't like it.
And rightly so. Thank you.
How much is coffee?
Help yourself, guys.
How much is coffee?
You mean the whole tray?
Yes, the whole tray.
7,20.
7,20!
- How much do they pay you?
- Ten years old.
He wants to know your pay!
400.
- 400 lira!
- Sure.
- It's a week's pay.
- Yes, a week's pay.
You mean 400 a day?
- Yes.
- A day?
Answer him!
- What's your name?
- Ciro.
We're at the Varazze Juvenile Shelter,
in the Liguria region.
You crossed borders,
traveled through nations
to take your future in your hands.
My idea was to reach Italy.
Nowhere else.
I wanted a better life.
I wanted to become
a soccer player, like Messi.
That's what I had in mind.
That's life.
Are you more afraid
of the past or the future?
The future doesn't scare me.
I've seen worse things.
It seems normal to me.
I'm trying to manage my life.
If I do it right,
the future won't scare me.
I have a normal life.
I don't want to go to the moon.
What if you suddenly
became head of state?
One day you wake up
and you're head of state.
You mean me?
What would you do?
What would you change in this country?
First thing, I'd build soccer fields
and all things for the youngsters.
There are young people
sleeping in the streets.
If I become head of state
I want to give people a better life.
We must all have the same life.
I know it's impossible.
But I'd really like it to happen.
Life shouldn't be only about surviving.
If I was the president,
I'd get rid of money.
Think about it. A world without money!
- Think about it.
- It would suck!
Why so? It would be normal.
It would suck!
- It'd be nice.
- No!
- People would be all the same.
- What would we do?
- What do you mean?
- Without money!
We can do everything!
They're just pieces of paper.
Sure, but they're important.
You've just said that you don't like
thieves! No money, no thieves.
That's what I'm saying!
It would be a better world.
Your idea sucks!
It's better the way it is.
We work, I'm the boss,
you work for me, I pay you.
- That's for the best.
- This is a wrong notion.
When you have money,
you think you're better than the rest.
No! I want us to work all together.
But you're the boss,
you're richer than them.
- That's wrong.
- No, that's for the best!
I think that there shouldn't be
difference between people.
- I agree with him.
- I don't.
Without money, you'll just have
to give land and a house to people.
They'll grow potatoes,
breed animals for meat.
- Everybody will help each other.
- People will survive, no rich, no poor.
We're all the same.
It's a wonderful thing.
If we're all the same,
the world won't work.
We need to work, that's it.
You work for me, I pay you.
Those who want a world
without money, raise their hands.
Winter came.
Summer made us believe
that the epidemic had disappeared.
But then it came back
stronger than before.
Closings, re-openings,
restrictions and prohibitions
marked our ongoing journey.
We explored the future of our youngsters
while a modern pandemic
changed their dreams and moods.
Unbeknownst to us,
this film was becoming
the diary of a plagued mood.
Morning boys, how are you?
Fine.
We finally managed
to kick tourists off Venice.
It took a heavy toll, though.
How do you feel about it?
How do your families and friends feel
about this empty Venice,
devoid of its purpose?
It was a one hundred percent
tourist city.
I feel very bad.
Most people in Venice
work in the tourism industry.
So now
we need to chase
all the tourists whom we've been missing.
Venice is one of a kind.
We're privileged to live on the water.
We move by boat, we row.
These things are out of reach
for most people, so to speak.
That's my opinion.
If the economy doesn't recover,
we can't stay here.
Do you think that your future is at risk?
An old saying goes,
"Money can't buy happiness".
That's not completely true.
If you find true love, for example,
but you're sleeping under a bridge,
you're not happy.
With money comes everything else.
You can afford everything.
So, our first goal is to make money.
Just like you need a job,
you need to make money.
It's a law of life.
Guys, can you tell me
how you picture
your future jobs?
This is my greatest worry.
I think jobs like these are fine for now.
But in a few years
they will become obsolete.
Look at these machines,
they've become useless.
Machines will handle tasks
that humans do today.
Many jobs will disappear
just like these machines did.
- What can you do about it?
- I'll become chief mechanic.
I don't really like
the idea of being an employee.
You spend your days in a factory.
I don't like it.
I've picked this school
because they ask us to decide our future
during the last year of middle school.
The things you study now
will be your job in the future.
I think they ask us to choose
too early in life.
On the last year of middle school
I wasn't old enough to choose.
I was unsure.
I took a last-minute decision.
And I ended up here.
It's not my dream job.
We've got our whole life ahead of us.
We can make our dreams come true.
I'm twenty years old.
Feeling sorry for myself because
I don't know what I want to do
or because I don't know
enough about myself yet...
Thanks to my educators I've come
to understand that this is not a problem.
School teachers tell you:
"You're graduating, we expect you
to know what you want to do next."
"Do you want to get a job
or go to the university?"
But it's not like that.
Yes, we've got
our whole life ahead of us.
But if you live
with a sister and a little niece
and there's only one working person,
another income would be great.
So I had to choose
between going to school
or getting a job.
But I saw that getting a degree,
or studying in general,
gives you more awareness
about your potential
and gives you the ability
to understand
if your employer is messing with you.
So, I'll wait before getting a job,
but not indefinitely.
I have to make ends meet.
We're at the Normale of Pisa.
You study and read a lot.
But our society
doesn't acknowledge
the value of study anymore.
What do you think about studying
and the sacrifices you're making?
Generally speaking,
to be free you need to study,
to have culture,
as predictable as it may seem.
Speaking of what I'm studying,
I study because
I have nothing else interesting to do.
Those who study
sciences of antiquity or philosophy
maybe...
OK, literature as well!
My personal opinion is that
people who study these disciplines
have the duty
to better understand the human being.
We are born into this world
without knowing who we are.
Each one of us can contribute
to understand why we are here on Earth.
Do current events worry you?
Quite! They do, honestly.
However, the Normale
is a place apart from the world.
There's less noise from the world.
They say that the more you study, the more
you understand how much you don't know.
That's true.
The more I study
the more I find it difficult
to judge things,
because I feel I lack knowledge.
In my opinion
there's not much hope for humanity.
Just think about the concentration camps
in North Korea and China.
Think about how they
treat immigrants, and so on.
They're making the same old mistakes.
I can do something about it,
but I have very little power,
so little that
everything I do will be useless.
Do you think that
there's something left to believe in?
We were talking about
swearing in the name of God...
I don't study philosophy.
I won't bring up the great
philosophers from the past, but...
You don't swear by God anymore.
You can't believe in God anymore,
so you need to believe in yourself.
It's the only possible form
of religion today.
This creed is both
religious and individualistic.
You make it on your own,
you don't listen to other people.
Sure, there is a bright side to it.
But still, it has been
drummed into our heads.
They hammered it into us.
Ours is a disillusioned generation.
Well, maybe we're self-justifying
so that we feel less guilty
about our lack of interest.
Anyway,
everything is suspended, petrified.
We don't really believe
we can do something.
I have been reading...
about Neoplatonic philosophers.
They described a multidimensional reality.
It's a beautiful notion.
Seeing how they imagined reality
makes you think about the potential
of our mind
and how it changes in time.
Our current idea of the world
can't be taken for granted.
THE YOUTH ARE GUILTY... AGAIN.
We're in Milan.
You occupied your high school.
Tell us about your worries.
Any country that doesn't invest on young
people doesn't provide stability.
I can't think about my future
knowing that I'm no one for my country.
I can't build my future
if they don't allow me
to live the present.
We are left with
unbridgeable shortcomings.
I haven't been learning
a thing for a year.
We lack socialization
as an incentive to education.
One of the most important
things in school
is socialization,
confrontation, exchange.
These are paramount factors
in allowing boys and girls
to grow up
on a personal and cultural level.
Since this mess started
they often blamed us young people.
Honestly,
it makes you think.
I find it ridiculous
that they put all the blame on us.
But if I look at the video recordings
of members of parliament,
they look like a bunch of hooligans.
They're embarrassing.
This country has many big problems.
People are at their wit's end.
They can't make ends meet.
Why doesn’t anyone talk
about the issues of young people?
Panic attacks and anxiety are raising.
There are young people who
cut themselves, harm themselves,
because they're depressed.
We're living inside a bubble.
Everything looks the same.
There's nothing to distract us
from what's happening.
I need to decide now
what I will do in the future.
I find it very difficult to decide.
You look at the available jobs
and you see only lack of opportunity.
You always need someone
who puts in a good word for you.
It is discouraging.
You lose hope in a better future.
I know it is an ugly thing to say,
but to better your social status
is very hard.
Some of my friends are lost.
Social injustice
needs to be better understood.
We're not discussing it enough.
I see privilege in schooling,
and that's a big problem.
This problem has been
troubling Italy since...
You can see it in Love Meetings,
by Pier Paolo Pasolini.
He went all over Italy
to gather the opinions of people.
There was a big gap
that needed to be filled,
because people weren't open-minded.
They mainly lacked education
and culture. People were ignorant.
The opportunity to grow through culture
is still a privilege nowadays.
But I think that everyone deserves it.
They said,
"Have you noticed it's raining outside?"
"Don't worry," I said,
"I'm going to get wet."
They're always looking for mistakes
But what about motivations?
Time kills hate but not distance
I don't want to miss a second
Of this shitty life
What does it mean to be weak?
Rocks in the middle of a creek
Are not so steady
Baby, I wish I could read your mind
Say my name
Maybe we're slaves to petty needs
What am I gonna do?
Just one word out of place
And I mess everything up
Our problems are real, they're no excuses
It's a six-figure mess
Let young people decide their future
But only if they stick to the past
They want evolution without revolution
But someone snatched the world away
The city is sick, power outage
They pulled the plug,
I see no alternatives
Except to transform myself
Into my own project
Ask yourself whose fault it is now
A ten-year-old boy imitates his idols
When he's eighteen
He only wants to express himself
When he's thirty he wants two children
I hope they won't be
Victims of your limits
This loudspeaker is one of our limits.
We're in Negar, near Verona.
Are you all musicians?
Yes, to some extent.
I'm very much into music.
Thanks to music,
me, Alessandro and Giosuè
have put together a group
and are pursuing our dream together.
We try to disprove a stereotype
about us young people.
They say that we always need
financial support from our parents.
But we want to be independent,
to be able to buy our parents dinner.
They worked hard to bring us up
in spite of an uncertain future.
All young people have the goal
to do something like that
whether they want to make art
or anything else.
Do you feel in debt with your parents?
It has something to do
with a notion they taught us,
"Give, and you will receive".
We have received something
from our parents
and now we feel the duty
to give something back,
both on a moral and financial level.
I think we all dream of making it
so that our parents
can retire before their time
and live the rest of their life
without worrying about providing for us.
What are your feelings towards adults?
Do you get on well with them
or are you in conflict with them?
It depends.
- What about your parents?
- I get on well with them.
Right.
They support my passion
and are always close to me.
They qualify for sainthood.
- Yeah!
- They bend over their backs.
Is there anything from the adult world
that you don't like?
Racism and all the things
that are happening right now,
like violence against women.
It's a thing of the past.
Well, it was wrong even in the past!
- It's old people's business.
- Right.
No use to keep doing
these horrible actions.
What does unite us?
Or what is supposed to unite us?
The law.
- You trust the law.
- Yes.
You don't do what's forbidden.
You just don't.
You do what you're allowed
to do, have fun doing it
and live a full life.
Who wrote the laws you're talking about?
People who want to protect us.
We trust them because
they want to keep us safe.
You are young. Don't you ever
feel like breaking the mold?
Honestly I don't.
I like it this way. I'm happy this way.
Why should I do something to harm myself?
There are...
several...
actions that bring negativity to you.
You are singing
such an ancient piece of music.
Are you in continuity with the past?
Or is there something
you want to rebel against?
It's right to rebel.
Yet you need to think
about your community.
You need to respect
those who think differently than you.
You can't force your ideas.
Everybody should be allowed
to express their thoughts
politely.
Violent protests
that don't respect other people
and the notion that other people's ideas
are inherently wrong
is not the right way to get an answer.
You always need
to evaluate every situation
and be open to the world.
Then you can think
and form your own opinion.
And fight for your ideas.
As a choir, you listen to each other.
Yes.
The single elements are less important
than the ensemble.
It's a way to have fun
and get rid of the burden
of present days.
Since I'm here,
for me it is difficult not to think
that twenty years ago,
here in the city of Genoa,
thousands of young people like you,
coming from all over the world,
during the G8 Forum asked
the powerful people of the world
to change the direction
of politics and economy.
What do you think of those days
and the fact that they were worried
about the future of our planet?
Do you know what happened
in Genoa during G8?
Can I ask a stupid question?
When did that happen?
In 2001.
We were all born between 2002 and 2003.
- I was born in 2004!
- Really?
- The G8 incident happened in our school.
- Sorry?
The G8 raid
happened inside our high school.
In Diaz School.
- Did they tell you something about it?
- No.
We all know what happened.
But I don't think we're expert enough
to answer your question on camera.
Do you know what happened
in Genoa 20 years ago?
Something happened inside
the Diaz School, your school.
- It was a terrible thing.
- I think...
It shouldn't have happened.
The most scary thing is
that it could happen again.
Sometimes you walk by Piazza De Ferrari
and you see young people protesting
for the environment
or for the reopening of schools,
and they're controlled by
police patrols and armored vans.
- It's shocking.
- You should never cross the line.
This is not about whose side are you on.
The whole thing was over the top.
Young people like us should look at this
to avoid doing the same thing again.
Whether you become
a protester or a policeman,
do not cross the line.
Or things will end like this.
You need to walk the fine line
between transgression and normality.
I mean "normality" in a general sense.
That's the line you want to walk.
This way you allow yourself
to fully live your life
and leave your problems behind.
A mild transgression is OK,
but you don't want to overdo it,
because you eventually end up
losing control, in my opinion.
- Right.
- If everyone transgresses
the basic rules, so to speak,
it will end up
in anarchy and chaos...
in my opinion.
It's an absolutely peaceful
and creative demonstration.
Yet it is lively and cheerful.
As a movement, they're responding
with creativity, intelligence
and freshness.
We're like the moon, we turn the tide...
Let's hear from Alessandro Leogrande.
What's going on, Alessandro?
I'm on Corso Italia.
Tension arises
as some Black bloc protesters
are now leading the manifestation
They tried to break police cordons
towards Piazza Kennedy, where
the center of the demonstration is.
Get out of here!
The world is watching us!
Don't you have a fucking family?
Don't you have children?
What the fuck did you do?
How dare you?
For me the future...
First thing first, my day starts
in the morning, when I wake up.
Usually I don't make plans.
I wake up and live, basically.
I haven't made any particular plan.
My actual plan is to become
completely independent,
even if I don't have nothing.
I don't give a damn about money!
I'd rather live in a shack on the beach.
I think it'd be good.
I really can't stand authority.
Police and things like these
really scare me.
I've always had problems with authority.
It makes me anxious.
We need to talk about it.
Adults should be brought up to date
on how to relate to young people.
The world is changing.
The way people speak is changing,
ideas are changing.
But adults don't feel the need to change
as much as young people do.
The same thing can be said
about the interests of young people.
There are things
that interest almost all young people,
and we do them all the same,
but we do them secretly
because they're anxious...
- They want to control you?
- Yes.
You know what I mean?
Fear and anxiety
are more of an adult thing.
They fear and worry for us.
In a way, they know that
we have the power to make it.
We're full of energy.
Like they once were.
It's a recurrent thing.
It's our damn turn now!
We have energy and all that we need.
We're willing to go.
Who gives a damn about fears?
While we traveled our country
and met these young people
we asked ourselves what will they think
of this film in twenty years.
They will see it as an archive
that questions the future.
A time that doesn't exist yet.
An imaginary land.
A land of theft, that many want
to manipulate, pollute, conquer
and treat as if it was merchandise.
But imagination is also
the land of surprises and encounters.
The land of a utopia,
fed by thousands of generations,
that is to lead, one day,
at last,
an existence without poverty,
barbarity and fear.
The land of endless desires.
WE WHO DESIRE ENDLESSLY
WE ARE THE CHILDREN
OF A DEVASTATED WORLD,
WHO TRY TO BE REBORN
IN A WORLD TO BE CREATED.
LEARNING TO BECOME HUMAN
IS THE ONLY RADICALITY.
TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT,
TO WANT WHAT YOU KNOW.
HERE'S THE SECRET TO AUTONOMY
AND THE ONLY PRINCIPLE OF AN EDUCATION
WHERE YOU HAVE TO LEARN
TO LEARN ON YOUR OWN.
Subtitles: Luca Persiani