The Natural is not an unconditional tribute to a cult figure persecuted by fate, nor yet another investigation aimed at shedding light on a story that ended in tragedy. Marco Pantani, hindered in his cycling career, died in 2004 at the age of thirty-four, under circumstances that remain unresolved.
Through public and private archival materials and intimate, moving conversations with his family, coach, and closest friends, The Natural retraces the life of a great cyclist against the backdrop of his hometown, Cesenatico—a small town overlooking the Adriatic Sea, a place of the soul that never stopped believing that “someone like him doesn’t give up.”
A portrait that restores vitality and dignity to an icon who was trampled upon.
A film that tells the story, from the inside, of the man and the sportsman that was the legendary Marco Pantani, “the pirate“. His mother called it “the first real film about Marco“.
Directed by Paolo Santolini
Edited by Letizia Caudullo
Produced by Okta Film; Rai Cinema
In collaboration with Fondazione Marco Pantani
Year: 2021
Runtime: 102′