Fioretta

Mishory is a poetic filmmaker whose sense of place and concept is eminent in all his films, including Fioretta, through his choice of angles, music, and storyline, where details and free-speaking subjects allow the film to evolve in an organic and insightful nature. For two hours, Mishory focuses on how Randy and his son, Joey, absorb their travels and interactions that connect them to the past. Mishory does not sugarcoat. He lets Joey be the 18-year-old he is. He allows Randy moments of frustration in response to the many awes he is experiencing, especially at a significant cemetery in Vienna that he is not permitted to enter.

“Connecting to humanity as a whole…”

Yet, Fioretta tells another side of history about immigrants who had to leave their homes and lives not knowing what would happen. There’s also a mystery in finding Fioretta, who was buried on Lido di Venezia near Venice—where her body was rowed when she died because she was a Jew. Fioretta’s story is one of artistic revelation with Randy’s cousin Serena Nono, a Venetian painter and daughter of avant-garde composer Luigi Nono, who wants to find her grave as much as Randy.

Connecting to humanity as a whole through reading ancient prose and writings and trying to decipher them, Mishory parallels the idea of immigration as not only progress but also survival. A visit to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp, makes this extremely clear; however, not everyone succeeds. There are clever elements of discovery portrayed, such as rubbing chalk over a headstone to reveal faded information and visualizing a family member’s life five centuries ago in what they bought, ate, and owned, as well as what was taxed. Mishory offers Fioretta as its own archival work with striking cinematography in the many buildings and sites they visit to chase down family members. It’s impressive. The film revels in the family journey and brings Jewish genealogy to life, especially for a family as extensive, fascinating, and creative as the Schoenbergs.

Fioretta screened at the 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival.