A Sicilan boy in post-war Italy is taken under the wing of the local projectionist, and begins a life-long love of the movies, while watching how the world changes around him. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, this is a funny, moving film about love, art, and community.

Starring Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, and Agnese Nano. Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

Spanning forty years, the film explores the many forms of love: the paternal love of Alfredo the projectionist for his surrogate son, the fatherless Salvatore; the love of Alfredo for the village of Giancaldo, where he shows films, and those villagers for their community; Salvatore’s love for the young woman Elena; and Salvatore’s love of both Alfredo and film itself. Film is the connective tissue, binding these characters to each other, acting as a way to express love for each other. The theater acts as the heart of the village, where people fall in love, in lust, suckle at their mother’s breast, even die. And as time passes, and the world changes, we see the heart of the village disappear.

It also raises questions about the nature of creation itself—what does it take to be a dedicated artist? Do we need to abandon our home, our families, our love, to dedicate ourselves to art? The answers it quietly finds are something I struggle with.

@maryvsmovies

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