THE MAW is the story of a young man, Charly, who is unable to move forward in life. Unable to secure a steady job, Charly has to live with his loving but concerned parents, Teresa and Alberto. As he suffers recurring moments of anger and depression, Charly realizes he can’t remember most of his childhood due to a traumatic event he’s kept hidden for years. As he experiences the life cycle of a routine autumn day, Charly realizes he must face his trauma if he wants to break free, live his life, and reconnect with his family.

In THE MAW, filmmaker Francisco Bongarzone uses both thematic meaning (why a story is told) and formalism (how a story is told) to tell his story.

Bongarzone explores the universal themes of repressed childhood trauma, deteriorating familial bonds, untreated mental health problems, and memory loss. Bongarzone presents these themes in a realistic way through an observational and unsubjective point of view. Never is the audience told what to feel or think, but rather is allowed the space and time to introspect and draw their own conclusions… or questions. By detaching from subjectivity and allowing the emotions of characters to be displayed in real time, THE MAW establishes a deeply empathetic cinematographic language.

Through this meaningful exploration of human thematics, Bongarzone playfully assembles a highly precise formal language that balances continuity and constructive editing, motivated camera movements and stillness, and symbolic and natural framing. By using these juxtaposing formal languages, Bongarzone creates an exciting and engaging experience that keeps audiences on their toes.

 

Why We Need Your Help

Our team has minimised costs through volunteer work and donated resources. Remaining expenses include:

•       Publicity.

• Festival submission fees.

• Music synchronization licenses.

• Transportation, and equipment rentals.

 

About The Filmmaker

Francisco Bongarzone is an award-winning Argentine-Italian-American filmmaker born in Los Angeles and raised in Chicago and Milan, Italy. His short film, Una Casa En Diciembre (A Home in December), premiered at the REDCAT CalArts School of Film/Video Showcase 2021 and won Best Actress at the Hong Kong International Short Film Festival 2021.

Recently, Bongarzone advanced to the second round of submissions for the Sundance 2023 Development Track with his feature script, Twilight Dove. His script also reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 BlueCat Screenplay Competition. He has taught various film/video courses at Deerfield Academy's DASAC summer program and Northwestern University's National High School Institute Film & Video program. Bongarzone holds a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2018) and an MFA in Film Directing from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) (2021).

Help Support Us

Every contribution—big or small—brings us closer to sharing this story with the world. Your support will help us finish strong and give “The Maw” exposure it deserves.

All supporters will be thanked in the film credits!

Thank you for believing in independent cinema and in stories that matter.

 

Please visit us at

Instagram: The Maw Film

Website: themawfilm