I STAY HOME
Diary of a quarantine

FILM REVIEW FROM FILM THREAT

Article by Bobby Lepire, from Film Threat

do not know if I Stay Home, or Io Resto A Casa in its native Italian, will have the same immediacy and impact in 5-years when the global COVID-19 pandemic is a memory of hardships persevered through. But, now, in the middle of it, this documentary is a captivating (almost) hour-long look at Italy during its nationwide lockdown. Directed and edited by Paolo Casalis, using segments filmed by various people, the whole affair is quite intimate yet epic in scope.
The first person we meet is YouTuber Missgerberina. She talks about how the teachers at her kid’s school are fantastic and have set-up virtual classrooms for the students to engage with and learn. She also describes how, when she has to leave, she tries only to be gone for a brief period, as she does not want to bring her 7-year-old out unless 100% necessary.

“…a captivating (almost) hour-long look at Italy during its nationwide lockdown.”

Robertina is a mom out to get groceries. She films the very picked over shelves, describing how certain items, such as lettuce, that they are out of entirely. But, she was able to get a decent number of supplies. Then we are introduced to Veronica Pinelli, who is given the title of “presidentessa” and nothing else. Using Google Translate, make of that what you will, it would seem the word translates to chairwoman. So, is she the president of some club or organization in Rome? Or is that just part of her online persona a la Diamanda Hagan?



There is simply not enough information given to know. Which is kind of odd, given that for everyone else, ages, main jobs, and hobbies are detailed for the audience. But, style hiccup aside, no matter who or what she may be, Veronica is energetic and crazy, in a fun way. She talks directly about how wonderful it is that everyone is self-isolating so well and congratulates the entirety of Italy on a robust prompt response. Veronica then chastises some of the poor behavior, such as extreme hoarding, that a few select individuals have shown during the crisis.
Silvio is a 31-year-old architect who adores his cat. He hosts some building tutorials online while cooped up. YouTuber Stay Serena is a student filming from inside her car. She wants everyone to know that while she is all about fun, this is the time to be serious. To that end, she’s begging people to stay home unless they absolutely must leave.
Finally, there’s Katia and Manuel. She’s a “graphic,” which I presume to mean that she’s either a graphic designer or illustrator (comics, children’s books, and so on). Either job works just as well as the other in context. Manuel is an immunocompromised photographer, so he is more or less homebound, even from going to get the necessities at the corner store. Thus, when Katia ventures out, she must be extremely careful.
In terms of the people that we follow proper, that is all of them. But there are several clips and segments taken from various social media, including TikTok, that show off people singing on their balconies, strumming the guitar, or playing the piano in their home. Then there are the vistas of the (mostly) empty streets and hallways. No one is out unless need be, and Rome has never been this quiet.

“…a timely story that crosses borders and language…”

But, as Missgerberina put it, “…in an emergency, Italy comes together and acts as one” in a patriotic show of solidarity. What brings life and visceral energy to I Stay Home is seeing precisely the same sort of situations occur halfway around the world as are happening in the U.S., China, South Africa, or any of the other 210 (as of the latest data available when writing this review) countries facing down the Coronavirus.



While the people featured are being serious, so they can help save lives, they are still out to connect and be social. It just so happens that being social now means talking via one of several technological ways, not face to face. Director Casalis nimbly keeps that idea alive, so the documentary is serious, but it comes across as hopeful and even a bit fun.
Again, I Stay Home may not be as engaging a watch in a few years’ time, maybe even just one year. But, Paolo Casalis has crafted a timely story that crosses borders and language to be a heartfelt, fascinating look at a whole country that is under quarantine. We might not all be the same, but the world over, we do have shared experiences. This will help everyone deal with the current, uncertain, somewhat scary time we are all facing right now.