Yuri Ancarani’s fictional documentary, the study of the restless Venetian youth, is flooded with ravishing imagery, though its character portraiture is said to be a bit more minimalist.
“Atlantide” is taken from the Italian name of Atlantis, the fictional island of utopia as imagined by Plato, that is supposedly cursed by the gods and said to be swallowed by the sea. It revolves around Venice, the sinking city that feels like a place one collectively dreams into being, somehow on the verge of getting taken away at any moment. Since premiering at Venice last year, the “Atlantide” has impacted the festival circuit, encircled with sensual imagery and seductive sonics.
The 24-year-old Daniele is one of those young men in the region who can only be described as the Venetian equivalent of the racer boys, with motorboats standing in for them. One is given a brief glimpse of his job on a farm. During his conversations with his girlfriend, Maila showcases passion and emotionality. Instead, his aspiration is said to have been to build the speediest barchino possible. He joins a reckless cult of similarly goal-oriented young men.
Yet he finds no real sense of family there, just a testosterone-fueled competition. He, in particular, isolates himself from his companions and devotes himself to his boat with disappointment in mind.
The “Atlantide” suggests that before the whole city, like Atlantis before it, succumbs to the sea, Venice will outlast its most adjoined and strong-hearted denizens.
