The Puppy's Roar

‘The Puppy’s Roar’ is a bittersweet comedy that explores what it means to be a man in Italy today. I n a world where self-styled “strong men” seem to have made a noisy comeback, this short film presents three different types of men — each struggling to navigate life and to confront something much larger than themselves. In the spirit of Aki Kaurismäki and Alexander Payne, the film portrays three fragile, vulnerable characters against a backdrop of grief and sadness, who go to often ridiculous lengths in pursuit of their goals. This is a story I care deeply about, drawn in large part from my own lived experience: a privileged life in a villa on the outskirts of Rome, marked by power dynamics, obsessions with food, money, and bella figura (making a good impression). When my mother unexpectedly passed away in 2020, my father and I clashed over how to grieve. With hindsight, those moments were often unintentionally hilarious — just like in ‘The Puppy’s Roar.’ A reason for telling this story is, for me, a way of processing that loss and trying to make sense of it. Lastly, the film also serves as a “proof of concept” for the feature-length project ‘The Turtle’, which will expand on similar themes while embracing the same bittersweet tone.