The House That Stood

In Italy, during the Second World War, a young couple's blissfulness is destroyed by the arrival of Nazis.

Set in San Pietro Avellana in 1943, this one-hour-long feature tells a war story primarily through the eyes of simple people.

The storyline centers at a struggling inn that is run by members of a family that include a youth named Camillo (Accardi), his mother, Giovanna (Cara) and her sister. Soon German soldiers arrive and occupy their village and decide to utilise the inn as their base. The owners reluctantly comply and regardless of the situation, Camillo carries on with his life and attempts to begin a romance with his long-time friend, Bianca (Lamorgese). However, even this will come to an abrupt end when the Nazis bomb the village.

The film is separated into three chapters, each with its own title. The first two are in black-and-white and take place during the war years, while the third one is set in 1959 and is in colour. The decision to use colour in the postwar part was probably done to highlight the presence of a more peaceful time.

The main concept is people's lives being affected by war and that is explored through the family at the inn who unwillingly gets caught in the conflict. Giovanna is deeply upset that the Nazis take over the inn and Camillo loses touch with Bianca. These facts represent some of the things that are lost by armed conflict, such as relationships and possessions and people's control over their own lives in general. As dark and hopeless things get, hope arrives in the form of the Allies. The film has its heartbreaking moments, nevertheless, it also points out that with inner strength and support, love and strong bonds can survive even the most devastating events.

Looking at the characters, the screenplay does a decent job in exploring them. Camillo is the main character, a shy young man with a good heart who wants to survive and be with Bianca, a nice girl with a family who keeps a close eye on her. Camillo's mother is clearly proud of the inn as is devastated when she loses control over it. The only Nazi member who is characterised is Otto (David Paryla), an officer who appears to have respect and principles.

Interestingly, the fimmakers included archive footage of WWII in several parts of the feature. The decision to include these creates an even bigger atmosphere of that period.

Costume designer Eliza Douglas deserves recognition for the realistic period clothing and so does composer Lorenzo Ceci for the dramatic score. Commendations also go to Spirito for the wonderful directing that includes many great shots.

On the surface, this is a World War II drama. Digging deeper, it is also a love story, a story about survival and to some degree, a coming-of-age film. It is a story about desperation and massive struggles and also about courage, support and love.