CHIAMARE CASA SEMPRE LO STESSO POSTO
Heartbreak, reckless defiance, and the reckoning that follows.
Directed by Giada Bossi
Words by Katie Huelin
In a blend of music video and narrative cinema, CHIAMARE CASA SEMPRE LO STESSO POSTO, directed by Giada Bossi and created in collaboration with Rome-based artist Arssalendo, explores the emotional turbulence of adolescence- where identity, desire, and humiliation crash into each other with violent force.
Set in a rain-soaked lakeside town, this hybrid short film captures the moment a teenage girl’s coming-of-age is shattered by betrayal, then twisted further by tragedy. Shot in the very region where Bossi herself grew up, and soundtracked by tracks from Arssalendo’s latest album, the piece captures vulnerability and the adolescent need to both belong and protect oneself at all costs.
We spoke to Giada Bossi to talk about the emotional roots of the story, working with local non-actors, and why forgiveness is never as simple as it seems.
Arssalendo's sound is like a constant emotional undercurrent. How did this collaboration come about for the film and can you share with us how you integrated the score so fluidly into the storytelling?
It all came about very spontaneously.
When Ale (Arssalendo) played me first time Ma tu ci tieni a me? — the song you hear at the beginning, from his previous EP — I immediately thought, ‘This is exactly the story I wrote years ago’.
At first, the idea was simply to make a music video for Ma tu ci tieni a me? , something similar in spirit to Quattro Pareti (2022).When we started thinking about a more complex structure, divided into three acts, only Ma tu ci tieni a me? existed. Ale (Arssalendo) had just started writing new songs. He kept composing new songs while I was developing the narrative, and this created a continuous flow between music and images: every change on one side influenced the other.
It wasn't about adding music to an existing story: it was a dialogue that expanded every day, in a natural way, even talking about life, about everything that was going on in our lives at the time.
That's why the film moves organically between short film and music video: the two forms were born together, they fed off each other. That's why the music doesn't just accompany the story: it is the story.
The film seamlessly moves between music video and narrative short. How did that hybrid form shape your visual language for the film, especially when portraying emotional confusion without dialogue?
Personally, I come from the world of music videos, and I really love the languages and styles of this media and I acknowledge its power. So it's natural for me to think in terms of images that move with the music. One of my favourite films of all time, in my top ten since I was a teenager, is Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (2001), which has moments where the narrative is based entirely on music, and I owe a lot to that film, whose poster was also the reference for our <3
There was never a real ‘before’ or ‘after’ between music and images — they grew together.
You really capture the emotional chaos of adolescence - everything unspoken but deeply felt. How did you approach movement, lighting, and rhythm to evoke that under-the-surface turmoil?
Glad to hear it comes out as deeply felt as it was!
It is not only a story I wrote, but also a story I lived in the first person. At least the first half of it. Then the other two were a way of fleshing out what happened and finding another possible ending. So yeah, I am very attached to that chaos.
The casting and rehearsal process definitely helped us a lot to create a real, raw and warm performance, and we combined it with non-actors from the areas of my childhood where we were shooting - and where the story itself was born.
Those areas really influenced the film, the production and the cinematography. We were aiming for mid-June, when the weather was sunny and bright, and we had to change the whole script for two days because of heavy storms and rain. We just decided to go for it. The idea of the whirlpool - another urban legend of the area - came about as a contingency. And the whole rainy, moody look, I think, ended up being much more appropriate for the story.
In terms of shooting and editing, we decided to go straight to the action, without any introductions, and immerse the viewer in the situation as it unfolds, right in the middle of it; I wanted the audience to feel the same instability and confusion that you feel as a teenager.
You worked with both professional actors and local teens, how did you approach casting and filming to ensure the performances felt so emotionally real and lived-in?
The connection to the places where I grew up is fundamental to me. My writing always comes from the people I know, from the places that have shaped me.
So it was important that the cast reflected that rootedness. Many of the young people in the film are friends or at least familiar faces from the area, real people who bring their way of being, speaking and moving to the screen. For the main characters, we looked for ‘actors’ through agencies for the main roles, searching all over Italy.
I wanted there to be a balance between the naturalness of who they ‘are’ and the awareness of who they ‘play’. Speaking of Stefano, the protagonist in the role of Gio, for example, we found him through an agency, his tape was PERFECT, but it turned out that he lived next door to my parents. So he managed to fit in very well, he was already fully integrated.
Tommy, in the role of HIM, came from Milan and only auditioned for the role of him. He didn't want to try for Gio because he didn't feel it was his thing, and I appreciate that honesty and humility, and he was the glue of the team, always there with sensitivity, presence, and just ready to support the others.
Denise and Alessia were amazing, they blended into the crew and inspired everyone with their energy and bravery, just jumping into the lake and ready to shoot, no matter the night, the cold or the rain.
The three-day workshop with acting coach Fabio Marchisio with the four protagonists and lots of further rehearsals made everything run more smoothly on set. When we finally started shooting, there was no distance between them and the characters: they were really immersed in the emotions, and I think that's what you see on screen.
And then the street casting that was done there supported and completed the whole process. It was also a way of bringing something beautiful and heartfelt into these relationships and landscapes. To create a bridge between the people who live in these places and a story that respects and values them. And in the end, I think that's what created the sense of truth that you get from the film.
The car crash sequence is especially powerful in creating a disorientation and sense of isolation. How did you work with your team to create that emotional rupture through visuals alone?
Nothing ever works perfectly... especially in indie productions.
The days of shooting were hectic and the weather was very difficult, so we had to drastically reduce the amount of footage we shot. Most of the time it worked, but in this scene we realised during editing that we were missing some shots from the car's point of view to convey the raw, frenetic energy of the characters, to stay with them in the car and leave them in that moment of omnipotence and adrenaline that is suddenly interrupted by disaster. This sequence had to be reshot, so the image that frames their interaction comes from the main shoot, while all the intermediate shots were shot on another brave night. The sound and the magic touch of Filippo Patelli (co-editor) brought it all together.
“The connection to the places where I grew up is fundamental to me. My writing always comes from the people I know, from the places that have shaped me.”
Having been nominated at the UKMVAs and Cannes Young Director Awards, and winning YOUNG GUNS, you're now developing your first feature! Can you share any insights into what you're working on?
Well, well, I still have to pay my bills and rent like most people and that is why I work at ADV. It's a good gym and an amazing way to learn some of the craft, being on set and politics. I am still fighting my way to more narrative projects, even in ADV. I find myself more in the world of working with real people and shaping emotions, so it would be a dream to do just that. At the same time, making a feature film takes a long time and requires a lot of patience, but I would still say it out loud when it is done.
I am learning about the uncertainty of this world, especially in Italy, and how it is not only about having a good story and a good role, but also about having good actors and partners in it... Now we are going to shoot probably in March next year, even if it is a daily background job, a parallel career to ADV I would say... Until then I will continue with ADV, personal small projects as well as new "things" for Arssalendo that are new to me, like the visuals for his live shows, the premiere of which we will announce soon!
Your work often explores identity, emotional performance, and repression. Do you see filmmaking as a way to bring these invisible struggles, that so many face, to the surface?
Absolutely. For me, filmmaking is about that. I'm interested in disordered emotions, uncertain and unexpressed emotions. And it is not about the film itself as the final audiovisual product, but also about the whole process.
I've chosen stories that trigger me, that drive me, but my view of them is always sharpening, evolving as I work on them. For me, this is something priceless about this collective opera that is making a film. I only write and direct, which means that I coordinate people under my supervision - and vision - towards a common result. But it is a constant exploration, enriched by all the people involved in the project, from the actors who live the story through their characters, to every crew member willing to contribute something with empathy to the story. So the film is not just "my film", it is a film directed by me and made by all of us. And everyone has an inner world that can relate to these kinds of subterranean emotions that we are used to being shy or even ashamed of. And they are the basis of being human, and creating a space.
a WITHSTAND FILM production in association with AGILE FILMS with the support of MOVIECHROME
written and directed by: Giada Bossi
Director of photography: Francesca Pavoni
produced by: Withstand Film, Agile Films, Giada Bossi
starring:
Alessia Boccagni
Denise Boccagni
Stefano De Vivo
Tommaso Minnì
executive producer Withstand
Davide Ferazza
Lorenzo Damiani
executive producer Agile
Myles Payne
David Staniland
Sophia Gibber
producer
Victoria Rabbogliatti
producer Withstand
Martina Dalpiaz
1st AD
Matteo Polo, Tommaso Landucci
2nd AD / DA
Chiara Canale
choreographer
Macia Del Prete
wardrobe
Aurora Zaltieri
assistant stylist
Roberta Vacca
production design
Ailen Ronchetti
light design
Bianca Peruzzi
casting
Simone Mariani Casting Up, Giada Bossi, Simone Andina
actor coach
Fabio Marchisio
full cast
Stefano De Vivo
Denise Boccagni
Alessia Boccagni
Tommaso Minnì
Mario Dama
Federico Tanchis
Jacopo Speroni
Linda Colucci
Alice Serra
Crystal Dell'Aira
Matilda Petrolo
Mirko Donadio
Rei Curia
Romano Maran
Simona Ghisalberti
Ilenia Grossule
Luca Cialè
Simone Andina
Araya Martin
Alice Ferrari
Luca Speroni
Sharon Gioya
Marta Caporaletti
Luca Tilgher
Joshua Bossi
Giovanni Crotti
Arssalendo
Dafne Dell’Aira
Demiù Dell’Aira
camera and steadicam operator
Mirco Passero
1st AC
Jonas Ongaro
2nd AC
Valentina Chiarello
VTR
Nina Gorlanova
DIT
Federico Guffanti
gaffer
Giovanni Sacchi
best boys
Gaetano Gagliardi, Egidio Prudenzano
key grip
Tommaso Mogno
grip
Fabio Macchi
sound recording
Matteo Pansana
production supervisor
David Alazraki
runners
Simone Vasco
Davide Mizrahi
Pietro Ciron
Marco De Lorenzo
stunt supervisor
Simone Belli
stunt coordinator
Giovanni Cesaroni
stunt utility
Giovanni Cadoni
Emanuele Centurione
Francesco Di Mascolo
Miguel Peña
rental
Moviechrome
transports
Rted
Van4life
catering
La vecchia cunardo, Ristorante Italia, Ristorante Degli Sportivi, Giona Beach
lifeguard
Antonio Magnifico
editing
Filippo Patelli, Giada Bossi
sound design
ARSSALENDO
mix
Mark Ceiling
VFX
AGILE Studio
VFX Lead
David H
VFX Artists
James Sayer
Kevin Marien
post producer
Ben Carey
motion graphic animator
Gaia Pedretti
color correction
a collaboration between
Orash Rahnema and Daniel Pallucca
color assistant
Leonardo Mareso
graphics
Giulia Boggio
photographer
Davide Padovan
festival Distribution
Alessandro Giorgio
We deeply thanks:
MOVIECHROME Edoardo Mari, Matteo Pirovano
Comune di Luino, Polizia Locale di Luino, Comandante Elvira Ippoliti.
Comune di Germignaga, Marisa Lenardon, Proloco di Germignaga, Roberto Ballardin, Giada Cerinotti.
Comune di Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, Polizia Locale di Maccagno con Pino e Veddasca, Dr. Casali, Museo Parisi Valle.
Autolinee Varesine, Giovanni Crotti, Fabrizio Laudi, Ambrogio Guali.
Autodemolizioni Corda
Joshua Bossi
Graziano Franchetti
Gioele Bossi
Andrea Mascheroni
Ragazzi nei Paraggi
Marco Bossi, Stefania Chiodini, Famiglia Ronchetti Lorena Bossi, Monica Mazzoleni Moroni, Borgo Teatrale, Tobia Rossi, Massimo de Angelis, Viola Folador, Chris Zimmermann, Mario Dama, Associazione Culturale della Compagnia Duse di Besozzo and all the people who kindly helped us with any tiny detail of this project.
“Ma tu ci tieni a me?”
Written by Alessandro Catalano
Produced by Arssalendo
“Diventa grande poi passa”
Written by Alessandro Catalano
Produced by Arssalendo
“1Respiro”
Written by Alessandro Catalano, Riccardo Montanari
Produced by Arssalendo
“Corpo mondo”
Written by Alessandro Catalano
Produced by Arssalendo
© ℗ 2024 ARSSALENDO under exclusive license Peermusic Italy
© ℗ 2025 ARSSALENDO under exclusive license Artist First
No animals were harmed, killed or injured for the realisation of this film.