Baaria

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Writer: Giuseppe Tornatore

Cast: Francesco Scianna, Margareth Madè, Nicole Grimaudo, Angela Molina, Lina Sastri

Country: Italy

Synopsis: Peppino, the nickname of the boy at the story's heart, is a tough little kid in the thirties, used to the rough-and-tumble world of Baaria (local slang for Tornatore's native Bagheria), a hot and dusty Sicilian village with one main street. His adventures are many and his memories singular: men gambling in the local square, goats eating his schoolbooks, and the enchantment of silent film screenings. All of this plays out against the darker canvas of black-shirted fascists strutting in the streets, the declaration of war and the ecstatic moment of liberation when the Allies land on the island. Slowly, a man and an individual is formed. In the chaotic tumult of post-war Baaria, Peppino (now played by Francesco Scianna) joins the Communist Party. Coming from a poor family and witnessing the humiliations meted out by the local landowners, he feels that socialism is the road to justice and a fairer world. When he falls head over heels for the raven-haired Mannina (Margareth Madè), however, her parents hold his party membership against him. As Peppino ages, success rubs up against failure, and pain mingles with happiness. In Baaria, life can be simple or complicated, full of humour or sadness, but it is never uninteresting; it simply flows.Tornatore is in love with his world, his characters and his landscape. Everything comes alive under his touch. He has an unerring ability to summon the dreams and aspirations of a young man fighting for his beliefs, while also revelling in the exuberance and comedy of existence. Baaria captures the wonder of a lifetime of living. [Synopsis courtesy of the TIFF]

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