Leonardo Marchini

In the unforgiving Wild West, a young gunslinger marked with two red crosses over his eyes undergoes a mysterious ritual under the silent watch of mounted men. As he crosses a dry riverbed, he catches a glimpse of a veiled woman and a blindfolded child waiting among the trees, unsure whether they are real or only visions. Haunted by fragments of the ritual that brought him here, he is forced to confront a single irreversible choice, one that will determine whether he completes the rite or becomes its next victim.

The story takes place in the landscapes of La Spezia, where urban and rural environments intertwine. Water plays a primary role as a form, alongside the circle (e.g., bicycle wheels, pizzas, clocks…), which sets the rhythm of the character’s life, dynamically accelerating until it becomes very fast. The overlapping forms invite the viewer into the cyclical rhythm of the short film, moving from the spinning bicycle wheel to the washing machine drum in the character’s bathroom, from a freshly tossed pizza to the delivery mailbox, and finally to a dead-end wall. Savana is a race against oneself and against others; it’s a matter of decision and unpredictability — it’s black or white.