Vittoria Scognamiglio

A tale set in a decaying Parisian porn theatre, where within its dark confines, male patrons--soldiers, transvestites, married men--regularly engage in anonymous sex acts. In the ticket booth of the theatre, a wise Italian woman serves as benevolent gatekeeper, observing--but never judging--the proceedings occurring under her watchful eyes. One day, one of her regulars engages her in a conversation that leads to an unusual friendship, as these two worldly souls share their common experiences.

This is a combination coming out and first love story. The swimmer and diver Lucard is interested in attractive Martin. The film follows the characters' coming out with all its difficulties, the bitter-sweet pleasures of first love and the dreadful moment when one comes down to reality and realizes that one's beloved friend has a hard way to go yet. The positive message the film tries to transmit is the somewhat common motto "Live each day of your life as if it were your last." (imdb)

Luca is a French writer who is brought back to Italy, his country of birth, for his father's funeral. While trying to make sense of his life, Luca must juggle his emotionally fragile mother and sister, his father's company, and some very forward Italians, all the time trying to find a moment's peace to reconnect with the Italy of his youth.

Set in 1966 in the small port town of Sete, Mima, aged 12 and her sister, who are Italian and from a Calabrian family, live in France with other members of the family. However, one day Mima witnesses her beloved grandfather being taken away by two men, and later he is found dead. She discovers that he was killed because of a long-running family feud with the mafia... (bfi)