Sergio Bini Bustric

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

Four tales unfold in the Eternal City: While vacationing in Rome, architect John encounters a young man whose romantic woes remind him of a painful incident from his own youth; retired opera director Jerry discovers a mortician with an amazing voice, and he seizes the opportunity to rejuvenate his own flagging career; a young couple have separate romantic interludes; a spotlight shines on an ordinary man.

7 segments about life in 1990s Italy: two MPs from the opposite sides of the political spectrum spend the night together; during their honeymoon, a woman cheats on her husband with her favorite soap opera star; a married man pretends to be ill to seduce his younger nurse; a family discovers that their son's beautiful fiancée is transgender; an unsatisfied single woman is duped by her celebrity crush for Kevin Costner; two best friends want to have fun; a couple on a tropical holiday is fascinated by their indigenous masseuse.

1918, shortly before the end of the Great War, an Austrian soldier passes the barrier of the Italian lines and escapes. He is very young, alone, scared. During his journey in that enemy land, so similar to his own, the thoughts of the terrible experience on the front alternate with childhood memories. Along the way, death takes him and puts him back into the flow of nature, to which he has always felt he belonged.

The different faces of love provide the theme for this beautifully photographed film comprised of four short episodes. In the first story, two sisters head out for a New Year's Eve celebration and end up getting a ride with a car full of boys. The lads rape one of the girls, and strangely, the victim ends up falling in love with one of the rapists. In the second story, two young bucks who have been friends for ages spend a weekend at one of their wealthy father's homes. Eventually, they become much more than friends. The third tale deals with the emotions of an abandoned lover. While moping about, he watches TV and sees the picture of a Bengal tiger. Soon he becomes obsessed by the creature and spends many hours observing it at the zoo. His lover decides to return, but he spurns her. In the last story, a homeless fellow lives in an abandoned car. Among the locals he is known for his wisdom. One day, the doorkeeper of an adjacent building goes to see the derelict.

Four comedic episodes framed within the story of a tyrannical Zen master and his two hapless disciples.

Maroso Golfetto, a firm manager from Veneto, is known for his frequent yelling at his employees, who are either immigrants or Southern Italians. He regularly appears on the local TV channel to denounce the evils of immigration, and his popularity extends to children. His speeches resonate more deeply with people than those of Lucia, their anti-racist schoolmistress. One morning, a miracle occurs: by invoking the help of God to rid Veneto of its immigrants, all the immigrants disappear. However, is this truly a blessing?