The Shadow of the Day

Set in the picturesque provincial town Ascoli Piceno in central Italy, The Shadow of the Day is a dramatic love story set in the late 1930s.

Luciano (Riccardo Scamarcio, Three Floors IFF21), a wounded World War I veteran and a sympathiser of Fascism like most Italians at the time, runs a classy restaurant overlooking the town’s ancient square. He believes he can live his life according to his own set of rules. In his own bubble, Luciano observes the world through the window of his restaurant.

One day, Anna (Benedetta Porcaroli, Baby) appears, looking for work. A young woman with a dangerous secret, she is hired for a job in the restaurant. Slowly, affection creeps in between the two and among the many dangers Luciano faces, there is the greatest of all: love.

Featuring an ensemble cast including Lino Musella (The Hand of God), Vincenzo Nemolato (Gomorrah) and Sandra Ceccarelli (Blanca), Giuseppe Piccioni’s thoughtful melodrama reflects on Fascism and the pre-war atmosphere of control and isolation.