Marx Can Wait

When acclaimed filmmaker Marco Bellocchio invites his brothers and sisters (now all over 80), children, and grandchildren to a family reunion, it proves to be about much more than nostalgia and fun. It is high time to talk about the suicide of Marco’s twin brother Camillo, who died at the age of 29.

In a frank and painful journey into the past, Marco Bellocchio consults his loved ones, his priest, and his psychiatrist. Why did Camillo choose death? Memories and anecdotes are illustrated with footage of post-war Italy and from the Bellocchio’s private archive. In excerpts from the director’s work (for which he was awarded the honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021), we see how it was influenced by Camillo’s death.

What begins as a family gathering gradually becomes a moving and poignant exploration of guilt, grief, love, and compassion. The beautiful music by composer Ezio Bosso complements this confession by a man who more than 50 years after his twin brother’s death finally dares to look his ghost in the eye.