Threads of Desire, Bianca Di Marco’s gorgeous film, takes the viewer on a journey to the Italian countryside in an exploration of desire and its impact on a farmer, Bettina. The film will be available for streaming worldwide on Friday, February 11 through the New Jersey Film Festival.
When Bettina makes a stop to do some errands in town, she presses her face against the glass of a dress shop, looking in at the glamorous items and women within. One of these women dons a fur coat, and drops a bag with her dress in it as she hastily gets into a car. Bettina tries to tell the woman that her bag had fallen, but it was too late. Suddenly, our protagonist is in the possession of one beautiful, shimmery dress.
The film then centers itself around Bettina’s desire for the dress and the wealth and beauty that it symbolizes. She knows she should not have it, but chooses to go home and hide it away regardless. This decision does not come without internal turmoil. Di Marco displays this guilt and Bettina’s lust for the dress through mirrors. Bettina examines herself very carefully in mirrors placed around her home, and the self-contemplations almost always expose the guilt behind her bliss at having the dress.
This guilt culminates when Bettina discovers that an investigation is underway regarding the dress’ whereabouts. In an effort to right her wrongs, she travels back to the town and attempts to stuff the bagged dress in between dress racks at the shop, but is interrupted by the tailor who runs it. In a moment of fear and excess guilt, Bettina purchases lace from the shopkeeper and accepts the reality that to avoid getting in trouble for returning it, she must keep the dress.
After her failed attempt to make things right, Bettina gives into temptation and finally puts on the stunning garment. Immediately this action, much like her mindset, is juxtaposed; her guilty conscience is reflected in the dirt of her nail beds, and beautifully framed against the glimmering desire of the dress. She feverishly cleans her nails, lets her hair down for the first time in the entire film, and steps out like a princess to survey her kingdom, the farm. She spins and runs around the fields with her sheep, and it is clear that her desire has been fulfilled.
The act of wearing the dress is an ultimate release of tension for both the character and the audience, but it makes way for Bettina’s guilt to re-expose itself now that her desire is quenched. The longer she frolics in the dress, the dirtier its hemming becomes, a very pointed reference to the reality of Bettina’s life in comparison to the glamour of the dress: she is a poor farmer who only has the opportunity to wear such a luxurious item because she stole it.
Although it is unclear whether this sequence is a dream or reality, its impact on the character remains nonetheless. The swelling orchestral theme playing in the background as Bettina runs around in the dress takes a sad turn and eventually stops, replaced with the quiet rhythm of her spinning wool. The camera tracks her meticulous process, but lands on her face, which looks even more weary and downtrodden than ever before. Had the reality of having to take off the dress for good turned desire into depression? Was the sheer thought of wearing the dress only to take it off forever enough to make her avoid fulfilling the desire and instead live with the knowledge of what could have - however fleetingly - been? Regardless, as the title sequence seemed to forewarn us all, desire for the dress will go up in flames.
Bianca Di Marco’s Threads of Desire shines a light on the human nature behind a desire for beauty and worldly possessions, and how this desire can beat out or give into guilt. Don’t miss your chance to watch Threads of Desire and other featured shorts on Friday, February 11 at the New Jersey Film Festival.
Threads of Desire screens at the Spring 2022 New Jersey Film Festival on February 11! To buy tickets click here.
The New Jersey Film Festival Spring 2022 will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through February 20, 2022. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. More info is available here: https://newjerseyfilmfestivalspring2022.eventive.org/welcome
