In a cell, just hours before the trial that will definitively sentence him, sits Fowle, a man guilty of murdering his young partner, to whom the judicial authorities have appointed – by law – a court-appointed defence lawyer, Mr Morgenhall, a lawyer who, despite having devoted himself wholeheartedly to the study of legal matters, has never before been assigned a case of femicide.
Fowle’s defence will therefore be an opportunity to bring about a turning point (and a sense of purpose) in his work which, as he himself admits, he has always loved and honoured, even in the darkest of times.
Defending this defendant, however, presents no small number of obstacles and difficulties, both because Fowle is fully convinced of the murder he has committed, and because he appears to have no intention of seeking acquittal, wishing to atone for all his guilt within the prison, where his only distraction is looking out of the window and imagining a forest.
The story of the prisoner and his lawyer is one woven from surreal, amusing yet bittersweet exchanges. It is the tale of two lonely men, each a failure in their own way, whose redemption comes about through one of the most powerful tools at humanity’s disposal: the imagination.
The moment they stage a mock trial, socio-cultural barriers are broken down and their two worlds, seemingly too far apart, come into contact, giving rise to a story of empathy and understanding.
In collaboration with the Teatro Stabile di Torino.