Stefano Incerti

Marino Pacileo has a soft spot for gambling. When he discovers that Lila's father, the young Chinese girl that he is in love with cannot pay a debt, the gambler steals money from the jail he is in to help the love of his life.

A wealthy dentist who spends the weekend wargaming with friends provokes a dangerous reaction from his wife, who slips a real gun among the fake ones. An old couple turns to child kidnapping to cover their gambling debts. A young librarian saves the mother of the kidnapped children and confesses her long-standing love for her, expressed through anonymous letters that sustained each other's lives. A college professor who captivates his students with lectures on what is truly important in life finds himself as usual lonely and forgotten on his birthday. A mosaic of souls searching for the meaning of life.

A young Moroccan immigrant, living in southern Italy, escapes from his forthcoming wedding to the daughter of a local Mafia member to a hotel where he remains in hiding with his true love.

Argentina, 1978. On the occasion of the World Cup, two Italian journalists travel to the South American country to provide a report on the event: instead, they will learn about the tragedy of Plaza de Mayo.

The portly meter reader Crecenzio is first seen blowing up a building. The reasons for this drastic, desperate act provide the basis for the story, which is told in flashback.

Naples, 1959. Pure Mathematics professor Renato Caccioppoli, Bakunin's grandson, is a tortured soul. Recently discharged from the psychiatric hospital, left by his wife, and increasingly disillusioned with academia and the Communist Party, he lives his last days with painful detachment.

Celeste is sixteen years old, a body like many others and a secret of her own. Every now and then, driven by no one knows what need, she goes down the seafront and waits. When a car stops, she gets in. Davide Heller is a successful criminal lawyer. He lives alone in a large apartment, he is a young, handsome, taciturn man. He too has always had a secret. Their meeting is like a faulty bomb that never goes off. One morning Davide Heller leaves home in a jogging outfit, with a big backpack on his shoulders: inside, the corpse of a little girl. Celeste follows him and from then on, she’ll never let go of him… In a crescendo of tension, their two ordinary and sick existences mirror each other noiselessly. Until the end.

Five Neapolitan directors depict life in the city under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius for this anthology film of comedy, drama, surrealism, and political commentary.