The Zanetti Case, a psychological drama directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo, opens in theaters on June 3, 2026. Led by Roschdy Zem and Barbara Ronchi, the film follows the reopening of a criminal case ten years after a conviction, in a tense confrontation built around memory, speech, and guilt.
The Zanetti Case
Film | 2025
In theaters: June 3, 2026
Drama, thriller | Running time: 1h45
Directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo | Screenplay: Leonardo Di Costanzo, Bruno Oliviero, Valia Santella
Starring Roschdy Zem, Barbara Ronchi, Hippolyte Girardot, Valeria Golino
Original title: Elisa
Country: Italy, Switzerland
The story follows Elisa Zanetti, sentenced for a crime she says she can barely remember. Ten years later, renowned criminologist Professor Alaoui decides to reopen her case. The film shifts from simply reconstructing the facts to exploring what can emerge from a long, probing exchange between the inmate and the investigator trying to understand what triggered her action.
Leonardo Di Costanzo draws on a real Italian crime case from 2009, connected to Stefania Albertani, who was convicted of killing her sister. The filmmaker grounded his approach in prison interviews conducted by criminologists Adolfo Ceretti and Lorenzo Natali, whose work underpinned the book Io volevo ucciderla.
Presented in competition at the Mostra de Venise 2025 under its original title Elisa, the film lands in a tight, intimate crime drama register. The choice of French and a deliberately austere prison setting leans the story away from a straightforward courtroom drama or the classic prison thriller, to focus attention on Elisa’s fragmented memories and on the confrontation with Professor Alaoui.
Barbara Ronchi plays Elisa Zanetti, while Roschdy Zem lends his features to the criminologist. The cast also includes Hippolyte Girardot, Valeria Golino and Diego Ribon. The film should appeal to fans of reality-inspired dramas, psychological thrillers, and narratives built around memory of crime.
Trailer for The Zanetti Case:
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