Vera Gemma, daughter of 1960s Italian actor, plays herself in the quasi-fiction film, Vera, exploring legacy, identity, and aging from the filmmaking duo Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel.
As Vera dons her trademark cowboy hat, viewers are reminded she is no stranger to westerns as she is the daughter of Italian actor, Giuliano Gemma, a prominent figure of spaghetti westerns in the 1960s. In Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel’s quasi-fiction film, Vera, a study in legacy and identity is approached with a delicate lens without being self-indulgent, but an empathetic one, spearheaded by an illustrious performance from Vera Gemma. A question in where the general public may never experience, but always thought of, where being born into fame is your identity and living forever in an icon’s shadow is explored (Asia Argento cameos as herself). Covi and Rainer continues their method of realism by using non-professional actors and shoot on grainy 16mm film stock, giving the small Italian town character and grit. With this method, Vera’s world is disrupted from the superficiality of wealth, when she injects her self into the village side of Italy, interacting with the working class and hungry .
Vera Gemma, stands out with her glamourous attire, cowboy hats, and heavy make-up as the already outstanding exterior of her bracing attitude which also reflects her aging catching up to her. Able to befriend all, outgoing and such, her ability to grace everyone with her eclectic presence, questions the fiction as the film’s blending of Vera’s reality with fictional (or non-fictional) story. Her interactions between audition coordinators who care more about father than her. As well as her intimate relationships get in the way, where her partner uses her for better connections in the industry. Vera’s annoyances of these interactions are nothing but annoyances and something she’s used to, until a sudden car accident from her driver with a single father, Daniel and his son, Manuel disrupts her perspective.
The story shifts into a different world Vera is used to and less phony. After compensating Daniel for her accident, she bonds with Daniel and Manuel, entering a close relationship. Daniel, who works in a car shop scraps for anything to get by and can barely afford rent for his small house. Vera’s relationship blossoms with Daniel’s family by eventually becoming his girlfriend. Vera’s empathy and tenderness are poured out towards this family, providing gifts for Daniel’s mother, Nonna, blooming full of character and laughter. She watches over Manuel when she can, and the four begin to feel like a real family, until Daniel, unveils himself as who he really is where the film’s central critique of social classes between Vera and Daniel reveals itself.
When the film turns to this arc, Covi and Rainer’s realism is set in stone. The once magical family life comes to a tragic end. Although Vera’s loving spirit is trying to prove affection, there will always be someone to take advantage of one another. Vera’s undeniable spark and energy, was her downfall, from being taken advantage by her entertainment colleagues to the workers from the village side. And with Covi and Rainer’s unconventional shoot-and-go filmmaking, the world of Vera is a tale from hero to zero, but in the end, Vera will get through it all.
