In “Antonio and His Sea,” filmmaker Cristiana Esposito brings us a moving and poetic story about love, loss, and remembrance. The film, which recently won an award at the Indo Dubai International Film Festival, follows Antonio, an 86-year-old man who walks to the sea every morning with a small wooden chair and a photograph of his late wife, Maria. Through this daily ritual, Esposito captures the tenderness of memory and the strength that lives inside silence.
What makes Antonio and His Sea so special is its calm simplicity. It’s not a film that tries to impress through grandeur, but one that quietly reaches the heart. Each moment feels alive with emotion. In this interview, Cristiana opens up about her inspiration, her love for the sea, and how she finds beauty in stillness.
- Antonio and His Sea is inspired by a true story. What first drew you to Antonio’s life and his daily ritual by the sea? What moment made you realize this story had to be told?
Cristiana Esposito: “I met the man who inspired the story — his name was Pasquale. He was the one who introduced himself to me, and as we talked about his love for the sea and how it seemed to answer him, easing his loneliness, I realized it was a story that needed to be told. The sea pushes us toward our dreams, and Pasquale knew that deeply. His story is, in many ways, the story of us all.”
It’s clear that what touched Cristiana most was not just Pasquale’s life, but the quiet truth behind it, that even in solitude, there’s a dialogue between the heart and the world.
2. The film portrays silence and stillness with deep emotional resonance. How did you approach translating such a delicate internal world into visual storytelling?
Cristiana Esposito: “When I was a teenager, as an only child, I often spent my days wrapped in solitude. In the quiet, I began to imagine entire worlds, born from silence itself. I would always sit before the sea — I was born by the sea — and there, in its endless stillness, I found the stories to tell and the dreams to follow.
That is why, emotionally, I placed this feeling at the beginning of the film — when he is alone at dawn, lost in his thoughts, looking back on his life.”
You can feel that same connection to silence in the film. Cristiana doesn’t just show quiet moments; she lets them breathe. Through them, she helps the audience listen to emotions that words can’t describe.
3. The relationship between Antonio and the memory of Maria feels both intimate and universal. How did you find the balance between grief and the celebration of enduring love?
Cristiana Esposito: “For me, grief and love are never separate — they live in the same breath. When love endures, it transforms the pain into something tender, almost luminous. In Antonio’s memories of Maria, I wanted to show that what remains after loss is not emptiness, but presence — a quiet, eternal dialogue between two souls. The sea carries this dialogue, just as memory carries love beyond time.”
Cristiana’s words beautifully remind us that love doesn’t disappear when someone is gone. It simply changes form and continues to live inside us.
4. The sea itself becomes a profound symbolic presence. What does the sea represent to you personally and as an artistic motif in the film?
Cristiana Esposito: “The sea has always been my first language — a place where words are not needed. It holds both silence and infinity, strength and gentleness. For me, the sea is memory, time, and rebirth. In the film, it becomes the mirror of Antonio’s inner world — his solitude, his hope, and his endless dialogue with life. The sea listens, answers, and carries away what we can no longer hold.”
For Cristiana, the sea is not just a setting; it’s a character. It feels alive in every frame, reflecting Antonio’s emotions like a companion that understands him without words.
5. Many viewers have described watching your film as a gentle and healing experience. What emotional or philosophical reflection do you hope audiences carry with them after watching it?
Cristiana Esposito: “I hope the film reminds people of the quiet strength that lives within silence and of the beauty hidden in small, simple gestures. Life often takes us far from ourselves, but through Antonio’s gaze — through his dialogue with the sea — I wanted to offer a moment of pause, of tenderness. If the audience leaves with a sense of calm, or with the feeling that love and memory can still heal, then the film has found its meaning.”
She hopes the film gives viewers a sense of peace, and it truly does. Watching Antonio and His Sea feels like taking a deep breath — a reminder that even silence can hold warmth and comfort.
6. The cinematography is warm, tender, and contemplative. Could you share your vision in working with your cinematographer to establish the film’s visual tone?
Cristiana Esposito: “From the very beginning, I wanted the cinematography to feel like a gentle breath — intimate, human, and close to the rhythm of the sea. Together with my cinematographer, we searched for a light that could hold emotion, that could caress the skin of time. The dawns, the reflections, the stillness of the waves — all became part of Antonio’s inner landscape. We wanted every frame to feel alive, as if the sea itself were behind the camera, watching with tenderness.”
The imagery she describes feels exactly like what the audience sees on screen — soft light, quiet mornings, and frames that seem to listen as much as they watch.
7. Your artistic journey began in acting and later evolved into directing and screenwriting. In what ways has your acting background influenced your directorial sensibility and your approach to emotional storytelling?
Cristiana Esposito: “Acting taught me to listen — truly listen — to the silence between words, to the emotions that live in a glance or a pause. When I direct, I carry that same sensitivity with me. I approach each scene as if I were inside it, breathing with the characters. My background as an actress has given me a deep respect for vulnerability, for truth. In cinema, as in life, I believe emotion is not something to be shown, but something to be felt — quietly, honestly.”
Her approach to direction feels almost like an extension of her acting — intuitive, empathetic, and rooted in human truth. You can sense that she connects deeply with every character she brings to life.
8. Your career spans theater, television, international film, and voice acting. How have these diverse creative experiences helped shape your identity and voice as a filmmaker today?
Cristiana Esposito: “Each path has left a trace within me. Theater taught me discipline and presence — the sacredness of every moment on stage. Television gave me rhythm and precision. Working in international film opened my eyes to the universality of emotion, beyond language. And voice acting taught me how powerful silence and tone can be. All these worlds have merged inside me, shaping a filmmaker who seeks truth in simplicity — someone who believes that every image, like every voice, carries a soul.”
Her words show just how much her art is shaped by experience. Every role, every stage, and every camera angle has added a new layer to her understanding of storytelling.
9. Looking ahead, are there new stories, themes, or forms of expression you feel called to explore in your upcoming projects?
Cristiana Esposito: “I feel drawn to stories that speak softly, yet reach deeply — stories about the invisible threads that connect us, about the quiet courage of ordinary lives. I would like to continue exploring the dialogue between silence and emotion, between memory and time.
At the same time, I’m fascinated by the idea of directing — and also acting in — a psychological thriller, something in the spirit of The Others, where mystery becomes a mirror for the soul. I’m interested in stories that hold both truth and love, where fear and tenderness coexist, revealing the hidden.”
It’s exciting to imagine how Cristiana’s sensitivity will blend with the mystery and depth of a psychological thriller. Whatever she creates next, it will surely come from a place of emotion and honesty.
The Final Word
Antonio and His Sea is more than a film. It feels like a quiet conversation with life itself, about how love endures, how memory heals, and how silence can be its own kind of language. Cristiana Esposito reminds us that beauty often lives in the smallest gestures and that even in solitude, we are never truly alone. Through her film, the sea doesn’t just move; it listens.
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