The Days Off, a co-production involving Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and France, centers on protagonist Bego, a 12-year-old confronting questions of identity and belonging within her family and peer group. The narrative unfolds during an extended summer break with an approaching solar eclipse serving as atmospheric backdrop. The film incorporates elements of technology and virtual communities, with Bego encountering an online acquaintance named REN__ who introduces her to “shifting,” a practice where teenagers believe they can access alternate realities through lucid dreaming.
Director Lucila Mariani makes her feature film debut with the project, which combines coming-of-age storytelling with thematic exploration of horror, female identity, and humanity’s relationship with digital spaces. The cast includes Antonia Robolini, Luiza Quinteiro, Laura Paredes, and Guillermo Berthold, with Victoria Pereda serving as cinematographer and Maximiliano Passarelli as editor.
The film is scheduled to premiere on Aug. 7 at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, where it will compete in the Filmmakers of the Present Competition section. Inwave Films is managing international distribution rights for the project.
In her director’s statement, Mariani described the work as deeply personal, reflecting her own formative experiences with internet culture. She characterized the film as “an open love letter” to an earlier iteration of the internet, emphasizing its role as refuge for those seeking connection and self-understanding. The director highlighted her interest in exploring technology’s impact alongside traditional cinematic language and female identity themes that have guided her career development.
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