Costanza Quatriglio: In search of the invisible

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this article we provide an overview of the work of the ‘invisible’ Italian film-maker Costanza Quatriglio. In Italy, the term ‘cinema invisibile [invisible cinema]’ has come to denote high-quality films that are not widely distributed. Quatriglio embraces the idea of invisibility both in reference to herself and to the subjects of her films. All her films—including her shorts, her feature film and her feature-length documentaries—are either journeys in search of marginalized and invisible subjects or psychological explorations of the invisible aspects of highly visible individuals. Her protagonists are predominantly individuals who live at the margins of society—street children from Sicily, unaccompanied minors, international adoptees or domestic workers from Cape Verde and their daughters. Her 2009 documentary about the Italian pop star Nada focuses on the invisible and private side of a public figure. In all cases, the point of view of Quatriglio's investigative camera does not speak for but rather accompanies its subjects, creating a filmic space for what otherwise often remains invisible or incomprehensible.