The Inner Cage

Winner of the 2022 David di Donatello Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor, The Inner Cage is an affecting group character study set within the last remains of an abandoned prison.

A 19th century prison, located in a remote and unspecified part of the Italian territory, is being decommissioned. As a result of bureaucratic holdups, transfers have been blocked and a dozen detainees and a few guards are left, waiting to be sent to new destinations.

While they wait, a group of officers must remain on the premises to watch over the detainees, led by guard captain Gaetano (Toni Servillo, The Great Beauty IFF13), while the prisoners have their own self-appointed boss, influential mobster Carmine (Silvio Orlando, The Ties IFF21). As the rules that kept the guards and prisoners separate are loosened, new forms of relationships emerge among the remaining men.

Backed by a strong ensemble cast, Leonardo Di Costanzo’s evocative drama depicting the prison’s inner workings is imbued with a suspenseful atmosphere and a theatrical tone.