Personale

PERSONALE follows a housekeeping team inside a four-star hotel in the Dolomites, where spotless rooms and polished public spaces depend on workers the guests rarely notice. Mostly women with migrant backgrounds, they move through laundry rooms, corridors and wellness areas, while the film remains closely aligned with their perspective and everyday routines. Day after day, the same tasks return: cleaning, scrubbing, wiping, ironing, polishing, unloading fresh towels and preparing rooms before the labour behind them disappears from view. Breaks are short, the pace is relentless, and even a few minutes away from work attract attention. By observing hands, bodies and tools rather than the surrounding mountain landscape, the film makes the physical reality of repetitive labour tangible without relying on commentary. PERSONALE also opens up broader questions about visibility, labour and dignity. It shows how hospitality depends on work that often remains unseen, how hierarchies determine who is visible and who stays in the background, and how language and migration shape everyday life within the service industry. Differences within the team also emerge through practical questions about responsibility, communication and belonging, revealing the social structures behind seemingly ordinary routines. Directed by Carmen Trocker, PERSONALE premiered at CPH 2024 before screening at several international documentary festivals. Through its precise observational style, the film offers a thoughtful portrait of the invisible labour that makes comfort possible.