By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The film has shocked and divided audiences at its first festival showings.
PUNK STATE is the debut feature by Italian writer/director and award-winning short filmmaker Loris Di Pasquale. It stars Alma Noce, Alessia Bellotto, Elisabetta De Vito, Daphne Scoccia, Filippo Gattuso, Simone Zambelli, Gianfilippo Grasso, Sebastien Halnaut, Antonio Balbi and Riccardo Colasuonno, and has already caused a stir via screenings at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and the Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema di Pesaro. The synopsis: “Seven individuals are selected to attend what appears to be the most exclusive event of the moment: a performance shrouded in mystery that promises to mark a turning point in each of their lives. Inside a dark theater, three masked men dressed in paramilitary clothing are waiting to lead the show. As the evening unfolds, the seven soon realize they are not spectators, but the material of the performance itself. With each participant’s life and conditioning laid bare, the night turns into a violent ritual, culminating in a punishment as cruel as it is inescapable.”
We’ll keep you posted on where PUNK STATE goes from here.
