Pure Unknown
The act of burial is a primal human ritual that delimits life from death. But what happens to the corpses of migrant persons drowned at sea, those “pure unknown” who have been denied the possibility of a better life? No one now seems to care about their right to a dignified death. No one except Dr. Cristina Cattaneo, who is bravely and determinedly fighting for their cause. (Festival information, Nyon 2023)
Pure Unknown shows the professional, empathetic and committed work of Italian forensic doctor Cristina Cattaneo, who has made it her duty to identify the bodies of "complete unknowns" found by the police. The camera moves with delicacy and modesty through the autopsy rooms and interviews with the relatives of the missing, highlighting the profound humanity with which the doctor invests her gestures and words. The film is a witness to Cristina's contacts with a member of the European Parliament and opens up in an unexpected way to the question of migration and the suffering it generates. Informing families of the death of their loved ones in the Mediterranean Sea is the last possible act of respect in a world torn apart.