Movies - Cinque secondi: the living spirit of Italian cinema between tradition, modernity, and transmission

By Mulder, 29 december 2025

As Italian cinema experiences a new period of vitality, audacity, and international influence, Cinque secondi stands out as one of the major works of this artistic dynamic, driven by the humanistic and sensitive vision of Paolo Virzì, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Francesco Bruni and Carlo Virzì. The film brings together a prestigious cast including Valerio Mastandrea, Galatea Bellugi, Ilaria Spada, Anna Ferraioli Ravel, and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. It was first presented to the public in the Grand Public section of the 20th Rome International Film Festival on October 18, 2025, before being released in Italian theaters on October 30, 2025, confirming the immediate interest it generated among both professionals and audiences. Supported by a remarkable technical team with cinematography by Luca Bigazzi, editing by Jacopo Quadri, and music by Carlo Virzì, the film is produced by Marco Belardi, Benedetto Habib, Fabrizio Donvito, Marco Cohen, Daniel Campos Pavoncelli, and Ester Ligori for GreenBoo Production, Indiana Production, Motorino Amaranto, and Vision Distribution, with distribution in Italy by Vision Distribution and in France by Pan Distribution. The film had already sparked curiosity when its trailer was released on August 19, 2025, offering a glimpse of a film that combines emotion, social realism, and human warmth.

In Cinque secondi, Paolo Virzì plunges the viewer into the heart of the mysterious and dilapidated Villa Guelfi, an abandoned Tuscan mansion that has become both a place of memory and a symbol of possible rebirth. We follow Adriano, played by Valerio Mastandrea, a solitary, rough and withdrawn man who lives in the old stables of the estate and suddenly sees his daily life turned upside down by the arrival of a group of young graduates determined to revive the abandoned vineyards. Initially hostile and ready to chase them away, he finds himself drawn into a tense confrontation that gradually transforms into an unexpected construction of solidarity, listening and rediscovered humanity. The arrival of Matilde, played by Galatea Bellugi, the heiress to the estate and who is pregnant, brings a deeply emotional dimension by reactivating the memory of the land, the notion of transmission and the invisible link between past, present and future, in tune with the rhythm of the seasons. Through these characters and this meaningful setting, Paolo Virzì unfolds a story that combines intimate transformations, social divisions, discreet humor, and tenderness for human flaws, in line with what makes contemporary Italian cinema so powerful.

This film is also part of a prestigious cultural adventure in France, as Cinque Secondi will be previewed in France at the Third Italian Film Gala, organized as part of the De Rome à Paris professional days, on January 22, 2026, at the Publicis Cinémas in Paris. This event, initiated by Italian Screens and supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and Cinecittà, aims to strengthen the international presence of Italian cinema, encourage new distribution opportunities, and consolidate already strong professional ties. The screening will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the prestigious Publicis Cinémas theater, in the presence of the film's cast and crew, including Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Galatea Bellugi. This exceptional evening will naturally continue the following day during the Italian Film Industry Meetings organized at the CNC, highlighting how this event goes beyond a simple celebration to become a real moment of cultural and artistic exchange between France and Italy.

Beyond its remarkable institutional journey, Cinque secondi appears to be a film capable of deeply touching French audiences, as it combines emotion, social commentary, visual poetry, and a keen sense of human relationships, in a tone so characteristic of Italian cinema, which reminds us that behind every territory and every abandoned place there are stories of life, pain, but also hope. With its French release scheduled for May 6, 2026, thanks to Pan Distribution, this work seems destined to continue its journey beyond borders, confirming that when Italian cinema tells stories of the land, memory, human connections, and the possibility of rebirth, it speaks to everyone with sincerity and power, reminding us how cinema remains a living, unifying, and deeply necessary art form.

Synopsis:
Who is this scruffy-looking man who lives alone in the renovated stables of Villa Guelfi, an uninhabited and dilapidated manor house? When he realizes that a community of young graduates, eager to take care of the abandoned vineyards, has illegally moved into the villa, he wants to chase them away.

Cinque Secondi
Directed by Paolo Virzì
Written by Francesco Bruni, Carlo Virzì, Paolo Virzì
Produced by Marco Belardi, Benedetto Habib, Fabrizio Donvito, Marco Cohen, Daniel Campos Pavoncelli, Ester Ligori
Starring Valerio Mastandrea, Galatea Bellugi, Ilaria Spada, Anna Ferraioli Ravel, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi
Editing: Jacopo Quadri
Music: Carlo Virzì
Production companies: GreenBoo Production, Indiana Production, Motorino Amaranto, Vision Distribution
Distributed by Vision Distribution (Italy)
Release dates: October 30, 2025 (Italy), May 6, 2026 (France)
Running time: 105 minutes