Ilaria Cristini

Inspired by true events which took place in 1978 when Italy became the first country in the world to abolish mental asylums. Upon a closure of an asylum in Florence Anja returns home into the care of her brother Ettore and his wife Lisa. With the help and a great sensitivity from her newly appointed psychiatrist Anja slowly starts to adapt to her new life beyond the asylum. She meets Libero, a local man who delivers vegetables to people in the village. Libero, just like Anja, suffers from mental disorder and learning disabilities. Anja and Libero fall in love. They conduct their relationship under the protection of a secret shack in the middle of the forest. An unexpected event brings morality into question.

This is the story of 3 friends, destined to lose and find each other over and over again. More importantly, this is the (true) story of a film theatre in Florence, The Universale, which was a cultural landmark in the city between the '60s and the '80s. It was a theater of its own kind, bringing together intellectuals, students, as well as the people from San Frediano, a well-known working-class Quartiere. Such unusual mixture among the cinema-goers also produced a sort of creative chaos, which is explored through the eyes of Tommaso, the projectionist's son.