Kasia Smutniak's "Mustang" warmly received by Italian critics at the Rome film festival

The documentary "Mustang", directed by Polish-Italian actress Kasia Smutniak, has been warmly received by Italian critics. As WP Film reports, citing PAP, the production is entered in the main competition of the 21st edition of the Festa del Cinema di Roma, the Rome film festival.

What the film is about

"Mustang" is a personal story about Smutniak's journeys to Nepal, the loss of a loved one and a promise made years ago. The actress first visited the country in 2003 with her then partner, the Italian actor Pietro Taricone. After his tragic death in 2010, a foundation in his name, set up by Smutniak, built a school in Ghami. The village lies in the Mustang region, not far from the border with Tibet.

The documentary uses private footage from more than 20 years ago, including from Smutniak and Taricone's trips. The film is narrated by their daughter Sophie.

This is the second film directed by Smutniak. In 2023 she made her directorial debut with the documentary "Mur" ("The Wall"), about the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border.

What the critics are saying

According to WP Film, the Italian news agency AGI notes that "Mustang" combines intimate memories with the story of a local community. The agency's journalists regard the film as a turning point for the director and a moment of particularly personal openness towards audiences.

The website Roma Today stresses that the archive footage, purely private at first, takes on a universal dimension in the film and resonates with viewers. A reviewer for "Cinematografo" writes that the documentary escapes the traditional formula. It combines features of a personal diary and a reportage, and he considers the lack of a rigid structure one of its strengths.

The broadcaster Sky TG24 called the film "personal road cinema". It described it as a journey through more than two decades of life, marked by loss and grief, but above all as the story of a promise fulfilled. The school in Ghami allows children to learn without leaving their home area and helps to protect the local culture.

The source gives no information on the cinema release date of "Mustang" or on its distribution in Poland or the United Kingdom.