- The 36-year-old comedian director, screenwriter and actress in Flaminiaa film inspired by his life
- Talk about your relationship with Cristina, the film in cinemas from 11 April
Michela Giraud on Seven he lays himself bare. The 36-year-old comedian director, screenwriter and actress in Flaminiaa film inspired by his lifetells What it was like growing up with your sister with autism spectrum disorder. Speaking of the film, in cinemas from April 11, he reveals his relationship with Cristina. “I wanted to talk about how one can feel inadequate towards society. Flaminia’s friends in the film are a metaphor for how much evil can come out in relationships”, explains. Then he underlines about her sister: “I fought for her. We grew up in an environment where there was no protection for those who were different”.
For her, irony was a weapon in life: “Yes, I got it from my father, irony hides great depth. Laughing about it is one way to handle the problem”. Until now he had always kept her story with him: “Because I didn’t want people to see me 360 degrees. I was afraid. I disguised myself behind a more aggressive and energetic side. Then I said: okay, I’ll let myself go.”
In the film she is Flaminia, her sister, played by Rita Abela, is called Ludovica. The protagonist is ashamed of her relative. When asked if it was the same for her in her life towards Cristina, Giraud says: “I tried to bring ambivalence and a mixture of feelings into the film. People with differences are represented as characters you have to feel sorry for or as geniuses. Can’t they just be people? As a child I was embarrassed in some situations because I couldn’t handle them. It was a mixture of anger and courage. As a teenager I was ashamed of Cristina, then I wasn’t: now I’m very proud of her”.
Michela clarifies what made her angry when she was little: “When you’re four years old and the other kids tell you that you can’t play with them because your sister is like that… My favorite phrase was: why don’t you blame me? Inside, however, my heart was pounding. I wanted to get angry but I wasn’t up to it, I didn’t have the strength to defend my sister and me. This has always been the case. I defended her at four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten… thirty-six years old.”
“It’s complicated to talk about – adds the artist – Today we always think that people tell parts of their lives to exploit audiences and instead I wanted to tell a story without seeking pity: I don’t want anyone to think I’m complaining.
Michela Giraud has no doubts, her sister taught her “to live”. “For certain things I’m very immature, because I didn’t have the chance to grow in a linear way – he specifies – For others, however, I dug more. I owe everything to my sister. Without her I wouldn’t have had this desire, this hunger, this breath of life and I would have made enough of things. Growing up with Cristina allowed me to ask myself many questions”.
