I Vitelloni [re-release] 2003

As the golden sun sets over the Adriatic coast, it succumbs to the menacing downpour that signals the end of a carefree summer. The calmness of a seaside beauty pageant is torn apart when the newly crowned “Miss Mermaid 1953,” Sandra Rubini, suddenly collapses, giving rise to swirling rumors about her carrying the child of the infamous playboy, Fausto Moretti. Pressured by his respectable father, Francesco, Fausto reluctantly agrees to a rushed shotgun wedding to uphold family honor, followed by a honeymoon that feels more like an obligation than a celebration.

In the meantime, Fausto’s aimless friends—Moraldo, Riccardo, Alberto, Olga, and Leopoldo—spend their days drifting through life with financial support from their parents. They find amusement in deserted cafes, dilapidated pool halls, and wind-swept beaches, relishing in juvenile antics while mocking hardworking individuals from their luxurious vehicles that they never truly earned, only to face the consequences when their ride ultimately breaks down.

As Fausto struggles with the demands of marriage, Moraldo observes his brother-in-law’s escapades with increasing discomfort, leading him to reflect on his own stagnant existence and desire to escape the confines of their provincial town. Meanwhile, Riccardo’s delusions of musical and dramatic grandeur clash with Alberto’s battle between his supportive mother and his sister Olga’s secret romance with a married man. Leopoldo, on the other hand, channels his creative aspirations into writing a play, seeking the involvement of the eccentric actor Sergio Natali.

Upon returning from his lackluster honeymoon with Sandra, Fausto is forced to grapple with reality as he takes a mundane position as a stockroom assistant in a shop owned by his father-in-law’s friend, Michele Curti. Nevertheless, his self-indulgent desire for other women persists, even when his new wife is by his side. At the climactic masquerade ball, he becomes entranced by the captivating Giulia Curti, wife of his employer, while Alberto adds a splash of surrealism with his outrageous drag performance, adorned with a papier-mâché carnival head.

When dawn breaks, Alberto is heartbroken over his sister’s decision to leave him for her married lover. Fausto’s naive flirting with Giulia escalates to public humiliation at the hands of her husband, leading him to devise a petty plan to get back at her by stealing a golden statue of an angel. His attempts to pawn the statue for cash meet with skepticism and suspicion in every encounter—whether it’s at a convent or a monk—until he finally leaves it with a kind-hearted peasant, who affectionately places it atop a mound outside his simple home.

Days pass, and Leopoldo finds himself engaged in a deep conversation with Sergio Natali, discussing the potential of his play during a stroll along the coastline. However, when Sergio’s advances become too bold, Leopoldo takes flight in alarm. The tense atmosphere peaks when Fausto’s indiscretion with variety performer Sandra is disclosed, prompting her to leave home and take their child. This crisis propels Moraldo, Riccardo, Alberto, and Leopoldo into action, hunting down the estranged couple, ultimately confronting Fausto’s enraged father.

Later, amid reconciliatory gestures, Fausto and Sandra enjoy a peaceful walk home, their hearts buoyed by a renewed sense of hope for their shared future. Meanwhile, in a moment of self-reflection, Moraldo boards a train headed for Rome, determined to escape the suffocating monotony of their provincial life, envisioning his friends the Vitelloni lost in sleep, dreaming of possibilities beyond their small-town existence.