Running from the ghosts of his past, Damian (35, Polish) heads to Rome searching a new life. With little money in his pocket, he arrives at Termini Station. Instead of sleeping on the ground with the homeless, he climbs to the top of a tower on the ancient Roman walls overlooking the station, making it his new home. Dreaming of becoming a singer and longing for love, Damian surrenders to Sofia, a strong and charismatic homeless woman. Their love story ignites against the chaotic backdrop of Termini, throwing Damian into the upside-down world of camaraderie and conflicts of the station's marginalized community. Here, Damian finds the family he never had. But with a fragile psyche, will he be able to forge a new life for himself in the messy whirlwind of Termini?

Directors’ note

Termini Station sees over 150 million people pass through every year: hundreds of them, however, never leave the area of the station. These are the unhouse ‘travellers’ who have made the Termini Station their home, and they spill out onto the streets of Roma.
We were once among the passersby looking the other way, suppressing the discomfort of seeing people who appeared reduced to living in such conditions. Yet, these individuals, though marginalized from organized society, are part of us, part of humanity.
This film was born from the desire to give a human face to those made invisible to the average passerby, through a raw and uncompromising narrative. We were inspired by filmmakers like Roberto Minervini and documentaries such as On the Bowery, aiming to create a documentary that feels like a narrative film. We wanted to tell a story with an emotional arc, one that engages the audience not just as observers, but as participants in this hidden world. After a year of volunteering to distribute meals to the homeless, one evening, driven by the desire to delve deeper into this reality, we decided to spend a night in Termini. Just before lying down, a young Polish man with a curious Calabrian accent, Damiano, approached us. He told us a joke, breaking the ice immediately. Then he revealed that, unlike the other homeless people, he didn’t sleep on the ground—he had made an ancient Roman tower next to the station his home.
Fascinated by this unique character and his vibrant energy, we embarked on a journey into his life.
A rollercoaster ride between dreams of becoming a famous singer and the harshness of life on the streets, between alcoholism and the struggle to survive. We spent two years regularly visiting Termini Station, one of which was dedicated to filming. Thanks to Damian, we deeply immersed ourselves in the world of the homeless who populate the station’s surroundings. At first, some of them eyed us with suspicion; there were even moments when bottles were thrown.
Over time, those hostile gestures turned into embraces. They understood we weren’t there to “steal” a glimpse of their lives and vanish, but to stay, observe, and tell their stories. This allowed us to forge deep relationships, like the one with Damian, whom we still talk to every Sunday, despite him now living in a psychiatric prison in Poland.
The time we spent at Termini allowed us to create a film that doesn’t merely observe from the outside but offers an inside perspective, without filters, providing an authentic closeness to the lives of these people