Cinzia Th. Torrini
Sei nell'anima

Usually, biopic films about rockstars don't particularly appeal to me. In light of what has been achieved in illustrious previous cases (Freddy Mercury, Elton John just to name the most well-known examples), I've noticed how challenging it is to compress the life and career of famous musicians into a two-hour (or slightly more) timeframe. It seems to me that, in the end, they turn out to be polished films, as if publishing an elegant glossy magazine, when the real reality might be harsher and rawer.

With this preconceived notion, I watched the film "Sei nell'anima" on the Netflix platform, which Cinzia TH Torrini dedicated to our own rocker Gianna Nannini. And I must say that, although not a perfect work, I really appreciated the portrait of Nannini in the first thirty years of her life and career. What emerges, first and foremost, is the private and human dimension of the protagonist, an authentic "toscanaccia," very determined in seeking and finding her place in the world (not just the record world). Passionate about music and with studies completed at the Conservatory, the girl tries her luck (despite the discontent of her father, a well-known confectionery entrepreneur) by moving to Milan. We are in the early '70s, and although there are winds of renewal in the music field, the apprenticeship is tough. The reason is soon explained: in those years, for the Italian record business, it was unthinkable for a debuting woman, no matter how talented, to propose songs composed by herself. It was the norm for even young singers (like Mia Martini, Loredana Bertè) to perform songs composed by male authors. And thank God, Gianna Nannini will run into a talent scout like Mara Maionchi, then active at Ricordi. For her, previewing a song like "Morte per autoprocurato aborto" will be an epiphany of Gianna's great talents.

From that moment on, the Sienese rocker will begin a career not lacking in high-level trials (just remember a song like "America" centered on the theme of masturbation and a pillar of the album "California" with an unforgettable cover...), followed by success in foreign markets (German primarily). Nonetheless, the ongoing effort to churn out new songs and LPs will cause Nannini a stress breakdown in 1983, brilliantly overcome the following year with a song like "Fotoromanza," already tasting more of pop than rock. But by now, Gianna is healed and will continue up to today to present herself as a singer who does not let go. Everything she has achieved in various decades of her career has been influential for many new female talents who later rose to prominence in Italian music.

As I mentioned earlier, providing an exhaustive portrait of a musician in a 113-minute film like this is not easy. Some moments of Nannini's activity are not mentioned (she sang in the early '70s with the group "Fauna, Flora, Cemento" with Mario Lavezzi), but the protagonist's impetuous and revolutionary character is well outlined. Above all, Letizia Toni's portrayal of Nannini is noteworthy. With that Tuscan inflection and that voice, one could mistake her for the young rocker returned.

Certainly, it's a film that can enlighten the current young audience on who Gianna Nannini originally was, with that hoarse voice reminiscent of Janis Joplin's blues lesson. And even today, that singing style cannot fail to enchant.