Making its Australian debut at the 2025 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival, Fuori is a poignant portrayal of the power and complexities of female friendship, as well as the experience of surviving in a male-dominated world.
Set in Rome during the summer of 1980, Fuori – which translates as “outside” – follows a decisive event in the life of renowned Italian feminist writer Goliarda Sapienza, brilliantly portrayed by Valeria Golino. Unable to get her novel The Art of Joy published, Sapienza finds herself briefly imprisoned after stealing jewellery from a wealthy friend. The experience proves life-changing, as Sapienza discovers a world without class barriers and forms a deep bond with some of the younger inmates (played by Matilda De Angelis and Elodie). After their release, during a sweltering Roman summer, the women continue to meet. Their stories and struggles for independence liberate Sapienza, who rediscovers the joy of living and her drive to write.
Fuori, directed by Mario Martone.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Mario Martone (Nostalgia, The King of Laughter), Fuori is inspired by Sapienza’s 1983 autobiography The University of Rebibbia. Explaining his decision to adapt the memoir for screen, Martone told Variety:
“The idea of being able to portray these two wonderful characters. The writer and this young woman who is both a petty criminal and a political activist. I liked this a lot. I saw two beautiful female characters. And there was this possibility of making this a journey across Rome in 1980. A road movie. This fascinated me a lot.”
Martone’s direction skilfully blends biography and fiction, grounding Sapienza’s extraordinary story in the reality of a Roman summer while evoking a dreamlike quality through the film’s interesting cinematography. Most prominently, the film employs frequent close-up shots of its female leads to convey the emotional depth of the characters, often saying more than the film’s limited dialogue. This visual focus on emotional expression and silence – what is not said between the women – gives Fuori its poignancy, allowing us to feel the unspoken bond between Sapienza and her fellow inmates.
The film’s non-linear structure further enriches its storytelling quality. Through frequent flashbacks to the women’s time in Rebibbia prison, Martone blurs the boundaries between confinement and liberation. These scenes in the Rebibbia prison are dotted by moments of lightness and solidarity – women dancing, laughing, or simply existing together – reminding us that paradoxically, freedom can sometimes be found within the most restrictive circumstances.
Complementing the film’s visual style is a vibrant, jazz and rock-inflected score. This hybrid score infuses the film with energy and warmth, at times contradicting the isolation that Sapienza faces upon her release from prison. Yet, the score also helps embody Sapienza’s creative, and at times, restless spirit. Indeed, by closing the film with archival footage of the real Sapienza, Martone reinforces the film’s purpose: to honour the life and spirit of a woman who channelled her struggles into creative expression while simultaneously defying the constraints imposed upon her.
Ultimately, Fuori is both an ode to Goliarda Sapienza’s resilience and a celebration of female friendship. Martone captures the paradoxes at the heart of Sapienza’s life, being a woman who found liberation within confinement, and who transformed personal struggle into artistic expression. Through its delicate balance of realism and creativity, the film invites audiences to reflect on what it means to live freely in a world that constantly seeks to restrain women. The ideas Fuori invites us to consider will linger long after the credits roll.
The 2025 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is running in Sydney from 18 September – 15 October at Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central, and Chauvel Cinema.
