2002 Selection

Lampedusa, an island near western Sicily. Rival boy gangs play roughly among seaside cliffs. Hus­bands go out to sea and wives work in the fish-pac­king plant. Fun is restricted to Saturday nights. For some, village life can be as cruel as it is heartwar­ ming, as suffocating as it is charming... Grazia is the affectionate young mother of a teenaged girl and two boys. She sings along to Patti Pravo hits and finds ways to amuse herself and her children. But her free-spirited attitude causes talk in the entire village. Her husband, Pietro, lovingly stands by Grazia, but her high-strung temperament continues to create harsh opinions about her. When her reckless behavior be­comes misinterpreted as clinical, her husband's fa­mily decides that Grazia needs medical treatment in faraway Milan. But Grazia will have no part in this. Her 13-year-old son Pasquale will find a way to protect the touching bond they share...