Novelist Erri De Luca returns to Ischia, where the story of a ten-year-old child and the summer that put an end to his childhood comes to life. Erri and the boy roam the same island at different times: they brush past one another and never meet, as memories and images launch into a dialogue, part-documentary, part-fiction. Southern Italy, rugged and scorching, is the setting for a love story about physical pain and justice.

Director's Statement

Erri De Luca adores telling true, autobiographical stories that have the power of novels, without ever revealing which parts are imaginary. This blend of the documentary and fiction genres played out naturally in the film: the fictional elements are intertwined with Erri’s documentary-driven return to the island today, with photos from his childhood and Italy’s historical archives. What fascinates me is having the present dialogue with the past, communicating with figures long gone, and providing intimate views of people who keep speaking to their ghosts, and their country’s. This is why I try to invent a personal style, a collage of history, dreams, and reality.