Sleeping on Warm Knees

synopsis

Giuseppe Polerà chose an excerpt from a poem by Italian lyricist Sandro Penna as the title for his short film. However, he transposed the verse from its lyrical context into the harsh material reality of the Cuban countryside, where Leonardo and Mercedes coexist with farm animals. The middle-aged couple lives in extreme poverty, but not in sadness. Their private world, in contrast to their unchanging work routine, is imbued with warmth and joyful sensuality. Although they have almost nothing, they never cease to desire. This intimate portrait does not shy away from even the most physical expressions of love, which are also the most authentic expressions of the self in otherwise bleak social conditions.

“It's the time when sleepy children
are kissed on warm knees.
But I, on long roads, with my eyes
uselessly. Me, a worthless monster.” — Sandro Penna

biography

Giuseppe Polerà (b. 1993) comes from Italy. He has been involved in film both practically and theoretically since his youth. He studied at universities in Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Argentina, and Cuba. In 2024, he moved to Cuba for eight months, where he shot his first film, Sleeping on Warm Knees, which premiered in Rotterdam.

film details

director:	Giuseppe Polerà
producer:	Giuseppe Polerà
script:	Giuseppe Polerà
photography:	Giuseppe Polerà
editing:	Giuseppe Polerà
sound design:	Angie Hernández Sánchez