Samantha Casella presented the third chapter of the “Trilogy of the Subconscious” titled The Serpent’s Caress in Venice, at the Hotel Excelsior. Following the success achieved with Katabasis (2024), a feature film that received more than 600 international awards, the Italian director presented a 40-minute excerpt at the Tropicana room of the Hotel Excelsior on Lido di Venezia on September 8 at 8:30 PM: the screening was open to the public. Starting September 9, The Serpent’s Caress will be distributed online via QR code scanning from The Hollywood Reporter magazine: “On the one hand, we celebrate the film in the temple of cinema; on the other, we offer it directly to an international audience, without barriers,” states the director and actress.
The Serpent’s Caress draws heavily from Orphic cosmology and the myth of Ananke, goddess of Necessity who governs the Universe. Mythological components and the cyclical symbolism of the Ouroboros have influenced the intimate, emotional, and psychological construction of the protagonist’s character, played by Casella, torn between the weight of destiny and guilt. “The Serpent’s Caress traverses eras, time periods, perhaps actual dimensions. Sofia is perpetually balanced between the real world that makes her an imperfect woman, prone to weaknesses and feelings; and a primordial universe that chose her, ‘touched’ her, covered her in darkness”. Beside Samantha Casella, the cast includes Bruno Ballotta (The Equalizer 3, the TV series Those About to Die), Francesca Rettondini, and Laura Trotter.
The Trilogy of the Subconscious, which began with Santa Guerra and continued with Katabasis, closes with The Serpent’s Caress: “The journey into the subconscious that characterizes the entire trilogy thrives on constant symbolic themes. Trauma as a driver, the wound of the soul as a trigger for events that move the protagonist through the circularity of time: the myth of the Ouroboros, the serpent eating its tail that defines the cyclical nature of time, is revisited. This final chapter, like the previous feature films, also develops a non-linear sequence and archetypal imagery or cultured citations from Holbein and Dostoevsky. A brilliant narrative balanced by dramatic tension against a background of symbolic and visionary contexts. I believe that all stories carry the exact same story within them. Places, times, forms change, but the joys, sorrows, and everything that ignites the human heart always tell the same thing. The questions that really matter in life are very few, and they are the same for every one of us.”
Samantha Casella does not like to hide behind symbolism, but faces it and uses it as a bridge, balancing the tensions and facets of a soul that can represent a collective history. “For this reason, I think my films, as visionary, layered, and at times challenging as they may be, always retain a strong and pulsating humanity”.
The acclaimed director also plays the role of the protagonist, a duality that Samantha fulfills with depth and at the same time a practical sense. “Initially, much like what happened with Katabasis, I feared that the acting role might drain energy and focus from my directing. I think it is a natural fear, even more so in my films, where I personally handle the cinematography as well, so visual control must be total. Managing this dual role was exhausting, but free of obstacles. My films stem from a deep personal urgency and, one way or another, absorb every part of me”.
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