NICO, 1988

Approaching 50, singer-songwriter Nico leads a solitary low-key existence in Manchester, far from her 60s glam days as a Warhol superstar and celebrated vocalist for cult band The Velvet Underground. She doesn’t care much anymore about her looks nor her career. Struggling with her demons and the consequences of a muddled life, she longs to rebuild a relationship with her son, whose custody she lost long ago. A brave and uncompromising musician, Nico’s story is the story of a rebirth: of an artist, of a mother, of the woman behind the icon.

Susanna Nicchiarelli was born in Rome in 1975. With a degree in Philosophy and a PHD at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, she graduated in Filmmaking from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome in 2004. She began her career working with Nanni Moretti, directing one of the Diari della Sacher, presented at the Venice Film Festival. She has written and directed many short films and documentaries, and two feature-length films: Cosmonaut, winner of the Controcampo award at the Venice Film Festival and Discovery at Dawn.

Nico, 1988... understands the mystique of her anti-mystique, and deserves to attract a small but fascinated audience on the specialty circuit.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety