Bob Messini

An acclaimed novelist struggles to write an analysis of love in one of three stories, each set in a different city, that detail the beginning, middle and end of a relationship.

Two mental patients with opposite personalities ditch their Tuscan hospital and embark on an unpredictable exploration of the real world.

25-year-old philosophy major Marta faces the ugly truth for many young Italians — a complete lack of career opportunities. While babysitting for single mother Sonia, she starts to work as a telemarketer, experiencing first-hand the fanatical and exploitative rat-race culture pushed on employees while quickly rising through the ranks of the company. Around her revolve people like delusional supervisor Daniela, her womanizing boss Claudio, fragile coworker Lucio "2", and well-meaning but inconsistent union rep Giorgio.

Rome, 1929. The Pope's tailor sends his only son, 35-year-old virgin Nello, to more liberal Bologna hoping he'll find a wife. His head brimming with ideas on romantic love induced by classical poetry, Nello falls for Angela, a beautiful blind woman who indulges him only to win back her fiancé.

A 40-year-old world-famous chef with anger management issues is assigned to run a cooking class at a centre for young people with autism.

When her social-climbing father is relocated from a one-horse town to his native Rome, 12-year-old Caterina enrolls in his old school, finding herself adrift in an environment where eighth-graders form friendships based on social class and their parents' political affiliations.

Cetto and its city council were arrested, but in prison the conspiratorial former mayor makes no earning name as the gratitude of the powerful secretary. These decide to replace some MPs mysteriously killed precisely with Cetto and two other characters: Rodolfo Favaretto and Frengo Stop

Gabriele is a divorced dad who owns a music store and is completely focused on taking care of his 10-year-old daughter Sofia who spends time with both parents. One day he bumps into his old friend Mara who - for the first time since his separation - reignites his desire to be in a relationship. There is only one problem, Mara hates children!

Racial integration is Elena's profession and passion, not only filling her working day as a cultural mediator assisting immigrants, but spilling over into her home life as well. All too often her husband Carlo must attend charity events where he feels distinctly out of place. During one of these evenings, Carlo meets Nadine, a beautiful black woman.

We are in the mid-60s, when a very young Mariele Ventre gave birth to the very first formation of the Piccolo Coro, originally composed of only eight children. In a few years the Piccolo Coro becomes a real school of choral singing. In its 56 years of history, there have been hundreds of small voices that have brought the music of Zecchino d’Oro and its repertoire around Italy and the world.

Luca is a famous actor working on his new film as both its star and director. One day he gets extremely sick and, while at the hospital, rethinks his life.

This tense thriller begins in the office of Claudia, a psychoanalyst whose sister was killed in a terrorist attack. Her newest client is Tancredi. He says that he is a journalist and that he suffers from having witnessed numerous atrocities in Bosnia. The events he describes sound just like those of Brescia, and Claudia, who still grieves for her sister, begins to wonder if Tancredi is telling the truth. Her investigation proves that he is lying, but it leads her to wonder why he has chosen her as his psychoanalyst. After talking to her husband, Claudia visits her old mentor who suggests she continue working with Tancredi but warns her not to call in the police. After that the story frequently jumps to 1998. By then Claudia and her newborn baby have become part of the witness protection program and she is preparing to testify against those involved in covering up government-sponsored terrorist activity.

Garage owner Angelo and big-time film producer Alberto find themselves occupying neighbouring beds in a Rome hospital after suffering heart attacks. Alberto is a gregarious joker - and chain smoker - who has a strong effect on the impressionable Angelo. However, as one of the men's condition deteriorates, the other becomes more deeply involved in his personal life.

Pietro decides to grant the wish of an elderly lady he calls Grandma and takes her out of the nursing home where she lives to take her to the seaside. It is the beginning of a road trip and an unexpected friendship. From Italy to Spain, passing through France, to Almería, a city Anna has always wanted to see, an exciting and unexpected journey will bind the two protagonists together.

Inside Bar Sport, a bar on the outskirts of Bologna managed by the histrionic Onassis, the adventures of regulars and casual patrons unfold. Searching for a pinball machine or a payphone, they encounter the omnipresent "technician," so called for his passion for soccer and always ready to chat or moderate other people's discussions. Thus, the ordeals of the handyman Bovinelli as he deals with the disasters at Muzzi's house, the diary of a provincial playboy's conquests, the sex life of the fiery prostitute Elvira, the search for a good restaurant during a dazed motorcycle trip with Cocosecco, or a trip to see Bologna play with the lawyer Della Lana become epic tales of tragicomic exploits.

A ne'er-do-well who's married to a millionnaire realizes his financial trouble might be solved if his wife was dead - and sets out a plot to achieve just that. A remake of Dino Risi's "il vedovo".

Bologna, 1954. Taddeo, a young man of 18 whom everyone calls Kid, dreams of becoming one of the regulars of the mythical Margherita Café, located under the portico across from his family's home. Through a ploy, he manages to get work as the chauffeur for Al, the neighborhood's most glamorous and mysterious resident. Having been taken under Al's wing, Taddeo gets to witness the adventures of Bep, who is in love with Marcella the entraineuse; the trials and tribulations of Gian, an aspiring singer and the victim of a horrible practical joke; the crazy behavior of Manuelo, a small-time robber with a sex phobia; the meanness of Zanchi, inventor of the elastic necktie; and the bizarre manias of Sarti, a ballroom dancing champion who wears his tux day and night. And Taddeo's home life is no less out of the ordinary, considering his mother is being led on by the family physician while his grandfather has fallen head over heels for a well-built piano teacher.

Coliandro is an inspector serving at the Bologna police headquarters who constantly finds himself embroiled, against his will, in matters bigger than himself. But Coliandro never backs down, even though his carelessness and investigative incompetence inevitably land him in trouble.