Cosimo Alemà
At The End Of The Day - Un Giorno Senza Fine

Zero Assoluto, Tiziano Ferro, Ligabue, Subsonica, and many others: these are the "artists" who have chosen Cosimo Alemà to direct their videos. A Roman director well-known in the Italian music scene, Alemà decided to give his working life a new direction when he started working on a film project. This is the feature film "At the end of the day - Un giorno senza fine" (2011), created to be distributed mainly in Italy and Europe, but with very American "vibes."

But what is "At the end of the day"? We are dealing with a horror work that navigates between true slasher (especially in the last half-hour), action film, and thriller. Cosimo Alemà relies on emerging actors (none of whom are Italian), and the film was entirely performed in English and then dubbed.

As is often the case with films of this kind, the plot is not the most convincing: some young people head towards a forest to indulge in softair, seeking amusement with fake weapons and "war" among friends. They are unaware that the location chosen for their fun was a military zone and some strange figures still continue to patrol the area, because for them the war is not just a game. The classic friends’ adventure that turns into a massacre.

But the big mistake would be to label "At the end of the day" as the usual survival horror lacking in emotion and plot twists. To be clear: the structure of the film follows that of the great classics of the genre (now overused even just for the times they have been cited), yet Alemà puts together a film that knows what it's doing. Starting with actors who, all things considered, prove to be up to the task, the Roman director crafts a visually perfect film where there is no room for darkness and cramped dark spaces, but instead triumphs with light, with shots ranging from close-ups to the nature scorched by the sun where all the events unfold.

In "At the end of the day," there is a feeling of "suspension" that accompanies everything that happens. It is not the usual slasher that bases its fortune on hemoglobin but also has a stable foundation, with well-characterized characters. It impresses with a crescendo rhythm accompanied in its most "strong" and significant scenes by a soundtrack ranging from indie to psychedelia and post-rock (two names above all: "Hammock" and "Soap & Skin").

Overall, there are moments of lull and some parts that need to be revisited, but they are more the result of an imperfect screenplay rather than the director. "At the end of the day" is a well-packaged product: perhaps derivative but it develops very well and touches unexpected dramatic moments for a modern slasher. Additionally, the fact that it is an Italian film makes it even more successful compared to recent releases of the genre on Italian soil (let's draw a veil of silence...)

Cosimo Alemà is therefore a director to watch out for and his first feature film deserves attention: it is not the usual horror, but there is personality and excellent cinematic rendering.