DAYS AND CLOUDS

(Giorni e nuvole)

Begins Friday, July 18

SHOWTIMES

Elsa (Margherita Buy) is an aspiring art historian. As she gently scrapes away at the ceiling of an ancient chapel, long-hidden angels gradually surface into the light of day. Soon, another form of reality emerges from the shadows to cast a very different kind of light. Elsa’s husband, Michele (Antonio Albanese), a partner in a shipping firm, abruptly informs her that he has been fired and they have to sell their beautiful apartment. Quarrels soon erupt over money. Both of them set out to find work, but inevitably, husband and wife react to their new circumstances in quite different ways. When they move into a smaller and cheaper apartment, the schisms in their marriage begin to show. Director Silvio Soldini (Bread and Tulips) skilfully takes this premise – an common predicament in today’s world, where middle-aged executives find themselves unemployable in a market that favours youth – and explores the couple’s victories and disappointments with finely etched detail.

Italy, 2007, 115 min., Italian w/English subtitles