Paolo, the father, the mother Lucia and the children Pietro and Odetta live in a fancy suburb of a big city. One day a young man appears at the house. Emilia, the housekeeper, experiences a strong reac-tion to his presence. Lucia also feels an attraction to the young man and she gives herself to him, as does her son Pietro. Her daughter Odetta also succumbs to the temptation. Although Paolo resists the temptation with all his might, he also yields in the end. The young man then announces his departure, leaving everyone behind in despair.

Emilia returns to her home village. Odetta tries to keep the image of the young man alive, but eventu-ally goes catatonic. Pietro, too, tries to maintain the special relationship, but to no avail. Lucia embarks on a conquest of other young men to replace him. Emilia returns to her village where she wants noth-ing else but to die. She does so in a miraculous way. Paolo is enraged about what the young man has done to him and his family, but he is also unable to go on living without him.

pier paolo pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was born in Bologna in 1922. He published his first collection of poetry at the age of nineteen. After the Second World War, during which time he was briefly a prisoner of the Germans, he joined the Communist Party. He was deprived of his membership after a few years, however, be-cause he was openly homosexual. After a career as a writer, journalist, and poet, he entered the world of filmmaking in Rome. Pasolini became one of the greatest motion picture directors in post-war Italy. He created masterpieces such as Mamma Roma, The Trilogy of Life, and Salò. Italy, criminal and corrupt, was often the target of his criticism, and his writings and films portrayed the harshness of life. Because of this, Pasolini frequently became embroiled in scandals. He directed the controversial film Teorema in 1968. Pasolini was brutally murdered under mysterious circumstances on the beach of Ostia in 1975.

ivo van hove
‘When Teorema starts there is order; the rich businessman’s family appears to be stable. But there is also a feeling of discomfort, boredom and general lethargy. The arrival of a mysterious stranger opens a world of repressed desires and emotions, but his visit also disturbs everything the family thought they knew about themselves. Who is this stranger? Is he a moocher, a young man who goes from house to house, sponging off those who live there? A crisis ensues, chaos reigns. The guest brings a liberation which is actually annihilation. His arrival results in destruction, no one takes responsibility for the future. The last bit of hope remaining is that something new can flourish on the ruins. For Pasolini, change is only possible if we are conscious of the crisis in which we live. Teorema demonstrates this crisis in all its complexity. He manages to tell a story of universal interest by making use of recognizable characters. A story of the human condition.’