No one in attendance at the eleventh annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival batted an eye at the late late showing of this particular screening, as they scurried one by one into the theatre at Nighthawk. Everyone knew they were in for something special. Bertrand Mandico is seemingly an unstoppable force. The creative power behind such masterpieces as After Blue and She is Conann, Mandico seems to have an infinite river of creativity at his disposal. His latest offering, ROMA ELASTICA is no exception.
Set in 1982 in Rome, this film veers away from the fantasy worlds of its previous peers, but make no mistake- reality, as we know it, is still a malleable substance here. Marion Cotillard is absolutely captivating as the central figure Eddie, along with her orbital moon of Valentina, equally handled by Noemie Merlant. The duo respectively play an aging actress and with her jack-of-all-trades assistant as they journey to Roma to shoot her next film.
As Eddie struggles against the oppressive forces that lay in wait for a woman deemed “past her prime,” she navigates insulting talk shows, antediluvian co-stars, health issues, and strung out crew members. All the while, her assistant and best friend Valentina is hell bent on absorbing all of the barbs that come her way. As the two begin to struggle under the weight of all these efforts, reality itself begins to crumble. To say any more would err into the territory of spoilers, which would be an absolute travesty here.
Per usual for a Mandico film, every actor in the ensemble gives an exemplary performance, regardless of the size of the role. One would be remiss to not mention the extra character, featured in nearly every scene- cigarettes, and those who smoke them. However, the actors make up only half of the craftsmanship in ROMA ELASTICA. Carrying the rest of the weight are the magnificent visuals at play. Rome itself is made up of dreamy sets, all at once both enormous and crumbling, each a reminder of the city’s past and present. Filling the space in between are all of the meticulously thought out elements of the mise-en-scène. Each piece holding importance, and placed just so, be they thematic through lines or simply the necessary elements required for each moment.
Finally, it’s important to point out that ROMA ELASTICA is not necessarily a horror film. It might be almost better described as an arthouse film, and is most certainly a queer film. However, it comes from an auteur who is truly a horror fan at heart, even going so far as to reference, directly or indirectly, sainted films and filmmakers of the genre. There is truly no more fitting place for it to be than in the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Fans of Bertrand Mandico’s films, and newcomers alike should seek out ROMA ELASTICA at their first chance.
ROMA ELASTICA will have a theatrical release in France on December 23rd, 2026. No word yet on its American wide release.
