With everything that has happened in 2020, it’s hard to think back to what last fall felt like. Back when the summer was filled with blockbusters at the multiplex and film festivals were showcasing amazing features in the fall. One of those films is “Martin Eden,” which wowed audiences last fall and is finally arriving in theaters next month. It’s only been a year, but it sure does feel like “Martin Eden” was a decade ago.
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As seen in the trailer for “Martin Eden,” the film follows the title character as he meets and falls in love with a woman and aims to make a better life for himself and his new love as a writer. Of course, this passion and commitment gets turned into outrage as Martin finds himself on a path of political awakening, adopting a new mission that he won’t waver from.
The acclaimed film stars Luca Marinelli, Carlo Cecchi, Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, and Denise Sardisco. “Martin Eden” is directed by Pietro Marcello, who started his career as a documentarian but transitioned to a fictional narrative with his previous feature, “Lost and Beautiful,” which debuted in 2015.
“Martin Eden” arrives on October 16 in select theaters and virtual cinemas. The film previously played the film festival circuit last year, screening at Venice, NYFF, and more.
Here’s the synopsis:
Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (played by the marvelously committed Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman.