Vae Victis

(The Art of Evil)

When Art Becomes a Way to Survive, Not a Reason to Judge.

Luca Alessandro’s “Vae Victis (The Art of Evil)” is an introspective journey into the world of Italian artist Valerio De Filippis, exploring trauma, creative block, and self-expression.

The movie is a parafictional-documentary, mixing interviews and biographical elements with a fictional narrative that gives a dynamic perspective, deepening our understanding of the artist and his work.

Originally from Pozzuoli, near Naples, Valerio De Filippis moved to Rome to pursue his career in painting and leave behind a past marked by violence and personal loss.

These experiences became the fuel for his disturbing artistic imagery, which is populated by uncomfortable grotesque figures, and taboo themes.

However, the movie focuses on his darkness,  not as an act of pure provocation, but as a form of self-expression and freedom, even as the story portrays a creative crisis.

And, here is where the fiction kicks in. We find Valerio working on an exhibition, while struggling with artist’s block. But a casual encounter with a woman named Eléna (Claire Palazzo)—who becomes the catalyst of this storyline, challenging Valerio to look inside his memories—builds a connection that forces him to confront his past and rediscover his artistic purpose.

“The Art of Evil” is a mirror of a tormented mind without ever reducing Valerio to his trauma alone. The interviews offer an intimate tool to look closely at the artist, while the fictionalized elements translate these experiences into the glitch effects of a visual language.

This blurs the line between reality and imagination, immersing the viewer in the fragmented emotional landscape from which his art is born and evolves.

The soundtrack composed by Blokulla and Giacomo Sovrano becomes a sensory dimension like an extension of Valerio De Filippis’s artistic and emotional identity, translating his inner turmoil into eerie music and drawing the viewer deeper into a visceral world made of layered shadows.

What makes “Vae Victis” like a gruesome nightmare is that it is not simply about art. Beneath its horror, thriller, and dramatic tones lies a reflection on the healing power of creativity and the importance of understanding rather than judging.

The movie won’t give you answers, but it forces you to look into the creative process and how it can become a metaphorical force capable of turning suffering into something meaningful.

I have to admit that, despite never having experienced the same traumas as Valerio, I could still see fragments of my own struggles within his words and artwork. Because of that emotional connection, many of the movie’s questions felt deeply personal

This is not just a tale of an artist. “Vae Victis” is a movie about someone who uses art to survive darkness. It becomes an invitation to confront our own wounds, ambitions, inspiration and capacity for empathy, without asking the audience for sympathy.