A Beautiful Imperfection by Michiel Van Erp, starring Dar Zuzovsky, Jonah Hauer-King, and Sam Hazeldine, opens in theatres on August 21st.
Set in the mid-18th century in Italy’s Veneto region and the Netherlands, the film is based on true events, telling the story of Lucia, Casanova's first love and betrothed. Irreparably disfigured by smallpox, Lucia abandons Giacomo for fear of thwarting his ambitious social plans. Sixteen years later, now a courtesan famous for the mysterious veil that hides her face, she meets Casanova, who has since become a cynical womanizer, in Amsterdam. He courts her without recognizing her, and a dangerous game of seduction begins, pushing Lucia to rediscover herself, even as she risks losing everything.
"Never, in my personal life or during my career as a director, have I been so fascinated by a book. In Lucia's Eyes embodies everything I think a film should express and represent," says director Michiel Van Erp.
Shot in evocative locations in Venice, Vicenza, Padua and Amsterdam, A Beautiful Imperfection is an intimate and modern tale of a strong female figure, poised between sensuality and rationality and a story that offers an important contribution to the portrayal of independent women in a world that appears to revolve around appearances.
Locations include several historic residences, including Palazzo Papafava dei Carresi, Villa Roberti and Villa Valmarana in Padua, Villa Fracanzan Piovene in Vicenza, Palazzo Pisani Moretta, and Palazzo Pisani Ferri in Venice.
Loosely based on Arthur Japin's best-selling novel In Lucia's Eyes (translated into over 20 languages and winner of the Netherlands’ prestigious Libris Literature Prize), A Beautiful Imperfection had its world premiere at Film Fest Ghent 2024. Lucia is played by Dar Zuzovsky (HBO Original The Survivor, Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints); Jonah Andre Hauer-King (Rob Marshall's The Little Mermaid, The Tattooist of Auschwitz) is Casanova.
A Beautiful Imperfection, directed by Michiel Van Erp, is a Dutch/Italian production (2024, 110') from Kaap Holland Film with Kino Produzioni in collaboration with Amazon Prime Benelux. It received a €200 K grant from the Ministry of Culture through the 2021 call for minority co-productions and was co-financed by the Veneto Region with approximately €159K.
In addition to Dar Zuzovsky and Jonah Hauer-King, the cast includes Sam Hazeldine, Josh Goulding, Ruth Becquart, and Gaia Bermani Amaral.
The screenplay, loosely based on the novel In Lucia's Eyes by Arthur Japin, is by Ursula Rani Sarma and Arthur Japin. Cinematography is by Myrthe Mosterman, production design by Pepijn Van Looy, costumes by Ellen Lens, and music by Italian composer Francesco Cerasi.
The film is produced by Maarten Swart, Giovanni Pompili, Peter Bouckaert, Katja Harterink.