A look at reality as it appears today in the streets and cities as an image of the crisis and decline of western society in the era of globalization. Between wealth and poverty, between homologation and loss of identity, between reality and illusion, nothing more than a great fairy tale, a deception, a collective lie of which the representation of daily life becomes its disturbing metaphor. As disturbing as the smile of Alice's Cat in Wonderland, who, at the girl's request for help to find the way that leads her out of the woods, replies with her characteristic grin: "It all depends on where you want to go". The narrative voice is by Marco Paolini.

The smile of the cat

The year is 1919 and it's forest rangers versus poachers in the Dolomite mountains in this Italian drama based on a morality tale by Dino Buzzati. The first scene, which contains no dialog, depicts the murder of a young ranger in the snowy peaks. Barnabo is a taciturn young ranger new to the mountains. He is a pacifist and is uncomfortable carrying his rifle. Upon his hand is a stigmata that periodically bleeds. The poachers murder another ranger. This time it is the commanding officer. The rangers organize a patrol to find them, but they are unsuccessful. It is Barnabo who locates them. They escape because he is unable, or afraid to shoot them. He is dishonorably discharged and now finds it hard to escape the label of coward. He leaves the mountains and becomes a farm-hand. While he labors, he reflects upon the experience and those of his life. A internal moral struggle ensues as he tries to make sense of it all and find some inner peace.

Barnabo of the Mountains

Calle de la pietà

This film is a journey into the unknown, along with Pippo Delbono and his actors, during the rehearsals of 'Orchids' which starts without any text, where all the actors, through free improvisation, become the authors of their own vision of reality, of their true life. Some performances of these rehearsals will be in the show, some others will only last in the memory of this film.