Contadini del mare

Sicily. Tonnara di Granitola 1955. At the first uncertain light of dawn, the fishermen on their boats set out towards the open sea, marking the beat of their oars with soft songs. A superimposed writing reads: "Off the coast of Sicily, men await the tuna that, for millennia, have followed an always the same route. When the tribute of the sea surfaces in the net, the alternating story of life and death repeats itself". Amid encouragement, they arrange the nets in the sea, adjust the ropes, organize the square of the boats. They meticulously prepare the work. Waiting. Some smoke, some sleep on the edge of the boat, some repair a net. Some eat something on swaying boats. Silence, the lapping of the sea. A fisherman scans the surface of the water through which the tuna can already be glimpsed. Tense faces, fixed bodies ready to spring. A cry and the work explodes. They throw ropes, singing rhythmic melodies. From a boat the rais directs the operations. The "death chamber" closes. The sea becomes increasingly foamy as the nets are pulled up. The tuna dart, flap their tails. Until the screen fills with white foam, with violent jets. Reverse shot, the arched backs of the fishermen. The men's toil becomes increasingly hard. Roar of voices. Obsessive rhythm of songs, gestures, incitements. Excited close-ups. The circle of boats tightens. A large tuna is hoisted on board, the men try to hold it with the harpoon. It wriggles desperately, with violent blows of its tail on the arms, on the backs of the fishermen. The waters are tinged with blood. As the tuna pile up on the boats, sliding one over the other, the sea becomes increasingly red. The fishing is over, a terrible and deadly ritual. The men, lined up standing on the boats, take off their hats and raise a collective thanks to "Jesu". Last gasps of the dying tuna, which the men refresh. The day is over. The anchors are raised, the boats return, against the light of a setting sun, in a row, towed by a tugboat. A low voice, the lapping of the sea, just the dull, distant sound of the engine.