Luca

© Materials by Elokuvalisenssi.fi

Discuss these questions after watching the movie:

• What did you think of the movie? What was the funniest, most exciting, or saddest scene in the movie?
• Do you think the movie had a lesson? What was it?
• Why didn’t Luca’s parents want to let him go above the water?
• Why was it important for Luca to learn to live on land as well?
• What do you think makes a good friend? How do they act?
• What challenges did Luca and Alberto face in their friendship? How did they overcome them?
• What kind of friend was Giulia? Was she different from Alberto?
• What was the movie’s bully, Ercole, like? Why was he bullying? How was the bullying stopped?
• What dreams and hopes did Luca and Alberto have? What dreams and hopes do you have?
• Why didn’t the villagers like creatures like Luca, the “sea monsters”? How did things change at the end of the movie?

Environmental Studies:

• The movie is set in Italy. How can you tell? (For example, the natural and built environment of the movie; music, food culture, language, etc.)
• Locate Italy on the map and learn about its features, such as elevation differences and bodies of water. In which region could Luca’s events take place? (According to the movie’s creators, the movie is set on the Italian Riviera, on the Ligurian Sea coast. Giulia goes to school in Genoa.) What is the climate and vegetation like in that region?
• The movie follows life in the sea and on land. How are these different? What are the basic requirements for life on land and in water? Why can’t the same animal often live in both environments?
• What kind of food is eaten in the movie?
• The movie includes many Italian words depending on the language version. Can you recognize any of these words or phrases? gelato, vespa, ciao, mozzarella, mangiamo, trenette al pesto, pasta, per favore, pescheria, mi dispiace, buongiorno, buona notte, pecorino, bravo

Finnish Language and Literature,  Arts:

The movie’s events take place in a time before smartphones. Why have people traditionally sent postcards from their vacations? Have you ever received a postcard? If you were to travel to Italy, what kind of pictures, videos, or messages would you send, using what means, and to whom?

Activity 1.

• Write a postcard! Choose one of the following:
o From Alberto to Luca
o From Luca and Giulia to Alberto
o From Giulia to Massimo (father)
o From Grandma to Luca

Activity 2.

• Illustrate the reverse side of the postcard. Explore travel postcards together, for example, through a Google image search (use keywords such as “travel postcards” or “postcard riviera”). Consider what postcards from the village of Portorosso might look like.
o Tip! Play the movie’s soundtrack in the background while working.

Activity 3.

• Self-portrait as a sea monster. What would you look like if you could live in the water?

Music:

Explore the soundtrack of the Luca movie. Luca’s director and screenwriter, Enrico Casarosa, has mentioned that many aspects of the movie are based on his own childhood. The movie features Italian pop songs from different decades, especially the 1960s.
• What kind of atmosphere does Luca have? How does the music affect the movie’s mood? Does the music affect things other than the movie’s mood (e.g., the interpretation of events, the era in which the story is set)?
• Would the movie be different if your favorite songs were played in it? You can try this by watching the movie trailer without sound and playing students’ selected songs from another audio source.
• How would you describe the movie’s music using adjectives?

This educational material was created by Koulukino ry.