ON MY SKIN: A TOUCHING MOVIE AND THE TRUE STORY IT IS BASED ON

 

A few days ago I was looking for a movie to watch and, browsing Netflix, I came across a story as interesting as brutal,  Stefano Cucchi's true, tragic story. This movie is titled “On my skin ” and it came out in 2018.

 

THE PLOT

On the evening of 15 October 2009, Stefano Cucchi, a young building surveyor, was brought to Regina Coeli , one of the historic prisons in Rome after being found in possession of some drug.

During precautionary custody, Cucchi is beaten up by police officers, but he goes on denying that he has been treated so cruelly. Despite Stefano's requests to choose his own lawyer, he is assigned a public defender, and the judge establishes that Stefano must remain in custody in Regina Coeli.

On 22 October, Stefano dies due to the many injuries he got during the beatings. This brings his family, led by his sister Ilaria, to start a battle for the truth and to try to find the people responsible for Stefano's death, once they realize, looking at his corpse in the morgue, that he has been savagely beaten.

 

HOW PEOPLE REMEMBER STEFANO

 Still now, Stefano Cucchi is remembered. His tragic story has been on the news for more than a decade. 

Everyone followed his story with interest and many with sympathy toward the family. In Italy, and especially in Rome, we can notice that Stefano will never be forgotten. There are posters everywhere, photos, phrases on the walls that say "Stefano is with us". In short, so many people have always shown  support for the Cucchi family.

But, the most important thing is a plaque at the entrance to the Parco degli Acquedotti, at the intersection with Viale Appio Claudio, now remembers Stefano Cucchi in the very place where in October 2009 he was stopped by the police officers.

STEFANO CUCCHI: A MAN UNJUSTLY MISTREATED

Only recently the series of trials to establish the truth have ended and fortunately they were closed giving Stefano and his family the justice they deserved. The judge and the jury found the police officers guilty of the  savage beating and of murder and all the others involved in the case of trying to cover the truth up. It took so many years and the strength and bravery of one woman, Ilaria Cucchi, Stefano's sister, to get to the truth and the triumph of justice.  

Nobody should get treated like that, not in the hands of those who are meant to protect, save and give justice to the weakest.  Stefano Cucchi was a young man in need, a fragile citizen who should have been saved and rescued from his own demons by those who, instead,  killed  him.

Simone S., 4scB