Scicli is a small baroque jewel in Southern Sicily. It is famous because it is the movie set of “il Commissario Montalbano”, an Italian successful TV series.
Thirty-three days before Easter, the residents prepare the celebration for the holyday, like all the other villages and towns in Southern Italy do.
“L’uomo vivo” (“The Alive Man”), “il Gioia” (“the Joy”), these are the words the people from Scicli use to invoke the Risen Christ, a symbol which has become part of the Sciclinian identity. Peppe, Franco, Angelo, and Claudio are the four “Joy Carriers”. Their friendship was born in the shadow of the “vara” (the part underneath the statue).
Peppe is a marble cutter, Franco is a sales representative, Angelo is a farmer, while Claudio is a trucker, who travels around Italy from South to North.
This movie is about their lives throughout the month before Easter, and the preparation and meetings occurring before the holyday.
The “Joy Carriers” take the statue – made by Benedetto Civiletti in the 18th century – to the church of Santa Maria La Nova. The carriers sway and spin the statue, while the choir incites them by screaming “Giò! Giò! Gioiiiaa!”, a victorious explosion of man over death. The carriers act like this until the end of the night. They speak to each other while carrying the statue; those who are watching the celebration think that they are crazy. Other people are enchanted by the image of a Christ waving a red flag, but they are also scared of being overwhelmed by this powerful vision.
Peppe, Franco, Angelo, and Claudio are examples of the “Joy Carriers”, people who live normal lives and meet throughout the year to prepare the celebration for the next Easter, telling stories about the past ones.
When the final round is done, and the town band has played the last note, the carriers come back tired to the church. They are satisfied with the celebration, but they are also sad: in front of the church, they feel the physical fatigue, as well as the desire to keep doing the celebration of the Joy. They wish that moment will last forever. But they know that, at the end of the celebration, they will have to wait another year to carry the statue again. Another Easter is over.