Sceneggiatura / Screenplay: Sonja Prosenc Fotografia / Photography: Mitja Ličen Montaggio / Editing: Ivana Fumić Musica / Music: Silence (Primož Hladnik & Boris Benko) Suono / Sound: Gisle Tveito, Francesco Morosini Scenografia / Set Designer: Tatjana Čanić Stanković Costumi / Costume Designer: Dubravka Skvrce, Gilda Venturini. Interpreti / Cast: Marko Mandić, Katarina Stegnar, Aliocha Schneider, Mila Bezjak, Judita Franković Brdar, Jure Henigman Produzione, distribuzione internazionale / Produced by, World Sales: Monoo productions Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Incipit Film, Incitus Films, Living Pictures, Wolfgang&Dolly Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Slovenian Film Centre, RTV Slovenija, Ministero della cultura Italiana – MiC, Fondo Audiovisivo FVG, FVG Film Commission, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia, Viba Film, Filmkraft Rogaland Norway, Zefyr Media Fund Norway, ARRI International program, Media Creative Europe Distribuzione per l’Italia / Distributed in Italy by: Emera Film
After catching fire, a car smolders on the roadside. A young family desperately needs help. Nearby, a pristine car cruises by. Inside, a seemingly perfect family doesn’t even slow down. Who are these people who choose not to stop? Family Therapy revolves around a Slovenian “nouveau riche” family living in a glass house, exuding detached superiority. This setting serves as a satirical backdrop for a humorous re-imagining of the premise from Pasolini’s Teorema: a young stranger arrives at the family’s household, disrupting the delicate balance of the family’s dynamics and revealing a world of chaos and the family’s dysfunctional relationships hidden beneath the surface. Family Therapy is Slovenia’s Oscar nominee for Best International Film and was presented at the Sarajevo and Tribeca film festivals.
“The genesis of this film is rooted in a personal memory: When I was a child, our car burnt down in the road. From this childhood memory of cars driving by, Family Therapy was born … This planted a seed of curiosity: Who are the people that choose not to stop?… Family Therapy starts off as a social satire, a lens through which we scrutinize contemporary social issues. Yet, as the layers peel away, the story morphs into a deeper exploration of the human condition. The film doesn’t just question the actions of those who don’t stop to help; it also probes the reasons behind their choices. Is it a learned indifference, a symptom of a broader societal ailment? Or perhaps they’re afraid to face their own vulnerabilities?” (S. Prosenc)
Sonja Prosenc
Slovenian writer and director Sonja Prosenc was born in 1977 in Slovenj Gradec. She graduated in journalism and culturology from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. Prosenc participated in international screenwriting programs such as TorinoFilmLab and Midpoint, and took part in Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents. She co-founded the production company Monoo. She has also successfully ventured into the comedy genre with her short film Paradise (2019) and into the mystery thriller genre with the series Trigrad first presented at Series Mania in France. Her debut feature, The Tree was in competition at the Trieste FF in 2015.
filmografia scelta / selected filmography
2004 Smrt cm / sf 2005 Nič novega, nič pretiranega cm / sf 2012 Jutro (Morning) cm / sf; Moz s krokarjem mm / ml doc. 2014 Drevo (The Tree) 2015 Impromptu cm / sf 2018 Zgodovina ljubezni (History of Love); Premi / Awards: Karlovy Vary IFF – Menzione speciale / Special Mention 2019 Raj (Paradise) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Festival del cinema sloveno Portorose – Miglior cortometraggio / Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož – Best Short Film 2022 Trigrad serie TV / TV Series 2024 Odrešitev za začetnike (Family Therapy): Premi / Awards: Sarajevo FF – Premio C.I.C.A.E. per il Miglior film / C.I.C.A.E. Award for Best Film; Festival del cinema sloveno Portorose – Miglior film, Miglior sceneggiatura / Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož- Best Film, Best Screenplay
