I propose to create an animated film that uses as a literal and conceptual starting point, one of the final scenes from Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Nostalgia. Framed within the Piazza del Campidoglio, Domenico, a pathologically conflicted character, sets fire to himself, high upon the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Beginning with this horrific yet cinematically beautiful spectacle, I want to move the character backward and explore ideas of faith and the intentions behind dramatic and drastic actions. The images from Guilio Romano’s Sala dei Giganti in the Palazzo del Te will play a part in Domenico’s story, representative of an ambiguous, conflicted statement of virtuosity and anger. The animation will be two-dimensional and include hand-drawn passages, cutout, and collage animation. Images of gardens, paintings, statues, and found photographs will come from research in Rome.