Gianna is a daughter, with an elderly and very demanding mother to look after.
She is also an actress, working on a stage production fraught with difficulties. And on top of all this she is a woman, with a delicate romantic situation that she finds hard to fit into
her life. Like a game of Chinese boxes, the film blends documentary, theater and fiction and tells, with a gentle smile, a story about looking after somebody who needs us.
When we first meet Gianna she is struggling to cope with the health problems of her elderly mother, who is no longer able to live independently. She has also just landed a part in
a theatrical production that addresses this very issue: the difficulties and conflicts within the mother/daughter relationship when the former, who is approaching the end of her life, is completely dependent on the latter.
Like Gianna, the play has its fair share of problems to deal with too. In a sub-plot running parallel to Gianna’s story, the film portrays the struggles of artistic endeavor in Italy today
and tells the story of the stubborn determination and ultimate success of this small group of actors.