Review of Age of Panic

Age of Panic (2013)
7/10
Between precipices
3 February 2024
The real name is "The Battle of Solferino," and this detail is significant as it refers to a bloody battle during Napoleon III's time, which led to the establishment of the Red Cross. In the film, we witness a very interesting exploration of symbolic themes, all centered around the challenges of divorce.

In Latin, the word 'divorce' initially denoted the division of lands caused by waters. Later, it acquired its meaning in conjugal life. There existed a religious marriage that was indivisible: "Conferreatio". However, this was less common than civil marriage, which could easily be dissolved. The "Univira" (one marriage) woman was revered, but divorced women didn't face chastisement in ancient Rome.

Now, the essence of the movie is subtle. Our lives are constantly on a thin line, between different poles in politics, peace or civil unrest, and between a father who can or cannot see his daughters. Appointments fail, discussions escalate into arguments. In the end, cinema is less about the purity of experiments but about the insistence on conducting them. And this movie manages to do exactly that, simultaneously entering the public arena of political masses and the intimate life of a mother preoccupied by her violent ex.

'Age of Panic' is genuinely stressful to watch, with many baby cries and deep tensions. At the same time, it delivers a superb performance by Leticia in a great part as herself, as she already demonstrated in the previous short film, 'Two Birds.' The minimal use of Bach's well-known and much-used Prelude in C minor is also effective.
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