Il compleanno
Two couples of friends, Matteo and Francesca, Diego and Shary go to see Wagner's opera, Tristan and
Isolde. By chance, they encounter Leonard, Shary's younger brother, who is briefly passing through Italy.
Leonard is still profoundly marked by the death of his girlfriend. Shary insists he come stay with them in
the beautiful villa on the beach that the two couples have rented for the summer.
Matteo, a 40 year-old established psychoanalyst, is married to Francesca, with whom they have a 5 yearold
daughter, Elena. Matteo,, has a solidly happy, although not explosively passionate relationship with
Francesca. Diego is an eternal child, who with great difficulty chose to become a lawyer; at a very young
age he discovered that Shary, the American girl he was dating, was pregnant with his child. After David
was born, Diego and Shary got married, broke up, then got back together. Theirs is a passionate but
unstable relationship. David, having grown up in the United States, where he now goes to boarding
school, comes back to Italy after five years to spend the summer with his family. Davids arrival deeply
unsettles Matteo. Trying to escape his growing obsession, Matteo escapes to Rome to treat one of his
patients, Giuliana. The delicate balance between friends has been upset. The growing tension seems to
corrode the two families. Cracks appear in Matteo and Francescas relationship. Old disagreements
between Shary and Diego flare up. It is as if everyone knows the truth, but is afraid to confront it.
Leonard, having tried in vain to warn his sister and deter Matteo, decides to take off, leaving the main
characters to their inevitable destiny.
home movie