Dormant Beauty

The film is about the last six days in the life of Eluana Englaro, the young girl who had been in a vegetative state for 17 years due to a car accident. The ‘Englaro’ case arises when the family asks the court to stop the force-feeding of Eluana, which they considered an unnecessary, aggressive treatment. A reflection on the meanings of life and hope where the stories of the characters, the different ideologies and faiths come together emotionally around the story of Eluana.
Bellocchio uses real places from the case, such as ‘La Quiete’ private clinic in Udine and the new wing of the Friulian hospital. Other locations include: a historical private villa in Cividale del Friuli, the train station and the Valvasone Morpurgo building in Udine, which is a section of the Gallery of Modern Art. Here you can see the original drawings of the Friulian architects of the twentieth century and drawings related to design, donated by the archive of the Electrolux Zanussi company.