Monica Bellucci has described her role in the new film "Ketticè", directed by Giovanni Tortorici, as unlike anything she has done before, telling Variety she found herself "on set in my pajamas with a knife in my hand and slippers on my feet" playing a character who "has abandoned her femininity". The film, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, marks a departure for Bellucci into tragicomic territory after a career largely built on darker, more dramatic roles.

Set in Palermo in 2012, "Ketticè" follows a teenage boy named Giulio who becomes increasingly lost after meeting a girl called Ketty, while his mother, played by Bellucci, unravels alongside him. Bellucci described her character as an embittered, unhappy wife and mother trapped by the facade of decaying high society, who threatens her husband with a knife yet inspires no fear because "she wouldn't have the courage to change her life." Tortorici praised her "very intelligent, very realistic interpretation," while Bellucci in turn commended the young director's control on set and the performances of co-stars Salvatore Gallina and Rachele Testagrossa.