During the height of the pandemic, Italy, one of the worst affected parts of the world was devastated. Every day was a new challenge for the administration and the health workers alike. Regular citizen quarantined themselves to prevent the spread of the virus and hospitals and health facilities working overtime to deal with the crisis. Perhaps, the frontline health workers are among the bravest warriors who fought selflessly to bring the situation under control. This is the story of Stefanie, a frontline health worker during these difficult times. Separated from her family because of the increased risk, she is forced to stay in isolation away from her children. Waking up to an empty bed and missing the warm hugs of her children, her nightmares continue even as she gets ready for the day’s work. Leaving her empty house for a ward full of patients who are fighting for their lives, she finds strength and courage in her duty. The desperation of watching her patients slip away before her very eyes and the frustration of being helpless without a cure to offer is what eats her away. Even after death, the virus continues to rob the victim of dignity by making the remains an object to be sanitized and discarded, without access to the love of family and friends. With everyone facing their challenges and dealing with their depressions, there is often no one to turn to for a comforting shoulder.
‘One day less’ is a lockdown film from director Barbara Patarini. Barbara uses the case of Stephanie to start a conversation about the various issues that we have dealt with during the height of the pandemic. She speaks through Stephanie about the risks and the challenges faced by frontline health workers. She talks about their frustration and helplessness as they watched the elderly slip away before their very eyes. Talking through Stephanie’s mother, she talks about the anxiety of the elderly population who feel like sitting ducks not knowing what they can do to protect themselves and speaking through Stephanie’s husband, she talks about the plight of the general population, locked down, without a source of income and staring at an uncertain future. The film delivers some heavy messages but in a manner that it becomes palatable and digestible even for all.
It is not all gloom and apocalyptic as people like Stephanie fight this war one day at a time, waking up and reporting for work each day with the thought that today is ‘one day less’.
With great emotion and joy, I read and shared the review that once again, the Indian people, in the Official Selection this time at the BollywoodIndie Festival, make the Short “One Day Less”. Through your sensitive words, the short is described in its contents in a deep and touching way. I have always told my traveling companions Rosetta Lampariello and Roberto Bagagli that our short film had to be seen with the eyes of the heart to be appreciated and not judged for shape and aesthetics. Today, very often, the special effect goes on, the perfectible quality. In the short film there is none of this, on the contrary, the technical and visual out of tune prevails. The essential is invisible to the eye. Thank you because you have been able to go further and grasp the retrospective contents of a short film made with great difficulty but with extreme love for art and life even in times of extreme pain and death.