A young woman tries to find her grandmother.


VOCE is used with permission from Em Smith. Learn more at https://emsmith.work.


Chiara has just arrived in Italy. The young woman is on her way to her estranged grandmother's home, whom she hasn't seen in many years -- and she has a message to deliver from her mother. But even when faced with a warm welcome, she can't bring herself to say what it is quite yet.

After trying again to communicate with her grandmother about her mother's message and sparking only anger and indignation from the matriarch, Chiara takes refuge in the beautiful countryside, where a chance encounter helps her summon her courage and free her voice.

Directed by Em Smith from a script co-written with James Fritz, this short family drama is a young woman's journey from internal fear and stasis to acceptance, freedom and reconciliation. Played out against a story of familial estrangement across generations, Chiara is asked to be a bridge between the different factions but finds navigating the tense, emotional volatility difficult, especially given her own raw emotions about the situation.

Shot with luminous, natural light and intimate camerawork, the visuals chart not just the uniqueness and beauty of this corner of Italy but also capture Chiara's emotional and psychological journey with delicacy and poeticism. Chiara is a serious, quiet and shy young woman, and her arrival in Italy immediately surrounds her in a barrage of language. Everyone around her, even people on the street, is quick to talk back, offer opinions and assert themselves, and Chiara is often too flummoxed to respond.

As the film proceeds, we see just why Chiara has such a hard time communicating. It isn't just the language barrier or her reserved, sensitive temperament. Hinted at with few but effective snippets, a difficult emotional situation at her home in London has propelled her from her comfort zone, and she must contend with her feelings about it. But instead, she seems intimidated by both the task entrusted to her and her grief about what's going on.

Actor Sorcha Groundsell plays Chiara's overwhelm and pent-up feelings with beautiful subtlety, and she has an emotional translucence that transmits even the feelings that she's trying to hide or avoid. After trying again to communicate with her grandmother about her mother's request, she takes refuge in the beautiful countryside, where she hears angelic melodies coming from a cave and discovers a group of women singing together, taking advantage of the acoustics to make music.

The centerpiece of VOCE is this stunning scene, which captures the wordless way that music both expresses and transforms deep emotion, transcending language and circumstance to become one of the few universal experiences available to us. The music and community free something in Chiara, helping her find her voice and play a part in bringing broken pieces of her family back together. Ironically, the film ends with a wordless scene that is moving in its simplicity, and articulate in its evocation of familial love that endures, despite all it's been through.