Killer redemption movie brings Italian director back to SIFF after 8 years

By Viola Ke

Italian director Vito Palmieri has returned to the Shanghai International Film Festival after eight years with his new movie, “Her Second Life,” a candidate for Golden Goblet honors.

His debut film “See You in Texas” won the Audience Grand Prix at the festival in 2016.

In the new movie, 33-year-old Anna has already served 15 years in prison for the murder of her twin.

When it happened, she was barely of age. But now that she has served her time, her crime lives beyond the verdict, both in her eyes and in those of others.

She can't even find the strength to meet her mother again, so she runs away to a small Tuscan town where she gets a job as a librarian.

Director Palmieri said he once had the opportunity to talk with many inmates at a prison in Bologna, Italy. 

"They talked of their desire to start a new life after being released but, at the same time, they were afraid of facing unfair treatment and judgment from others in society," he said.

As to why he chose to make a female character the lead, he said he believed that a woman's role in society is such that, if she has spent a long time in prison and has to reestablish herself in society, it is more challenging than for a man. 

He wants to convey the idea to the audience that it's possible for everyone to restart their life.