Paola Iovinella

Five Italian directors -- Pappi Corsicato, Antonietta DeLillo, Antonio Capuano, Stefano Incerti, Mario Martone -- contributed a quintet of short films depicting life in Naples under the shadow of the volcano for this anthology film of comedy, drama, surrealism, and political commentary on the Italian left. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival.

The impossible love between one prostitute, managing a bunch of handicapped prostitutes, and the homosexual Adamo. In the horrible suburb of Napoli we can follow among fantasy, mythology and reality the absurd life of the protagonists.

This high-energy three part comedy has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, as it shows three different women coping with difficult situations which are usually sexual in origin, even if the moment of romance is long past. In the first tale, Aurora has gotten used to a cozy, wealthy life, but begins to see her world destroyed when her husband is caught in bed with his secretary. Later, he flees the country to avoid getting arrested for something else he has done. Carmela is just welcoming her wayward son back to their slum home after he has spent a stint in "reform" school. Not only has he just confessed to her that he's gay, but he has become a heroin addict.Finally, Libera works at a newsstand outside of Naples as the sole breadwinner for her family. She is tired of her husband lounging in their house when he is not out tomcatting around with prostitutes, and decides to do something about it. So she secretly has him filmed in bed, and is marketing the tapes at her newsstand.