u-Protagonist Carlo Carbone (an impressive role by Carlo Colnaghi) is an actor and playwright who has lost touch with reality. Once a celebrated stage personality, he has been plunged into a severe mental crisis for ten years, plagued by psychotic attacks, and now finds himself living on the edge. When he isn’t in an institution, he lives the life of a tramp in reception centres and lodging houses. His antisocial behaviour regularly brings Carbone into conflict with his family (especially with his sister Bianca) and with people who he still knows from his ‘good’ time.Desperate and against his better judgement he works on a come-back which no one seems to take seriously. But Carbone’s insanity obviously has its creative side, which he seems able to exploit after he has met Sara. She is the only one to believe that he has not lost his talent. She allows him to live in her house and gives him an opportunity to work on a new piece. Carbone sits down at the typewriter as if possessed and pours his insanity into a fascinating monologue. He seems to pull himself up out of the swamp by his own bootstraps, but demands a great deal of his surroundings. His former colleagues are not interested and he severely tests Sara.In the harsh and realistic approach to Carbone’s marginal existence, Segre’s background is obvious – he has made many documentaries, e.g. for the RAI. Alongside this harsh and sombre realism, the film mainly derives its strength from Carlo Colnaghi’s acting.
