Vincere

Milan, on the eve of the First World War: chaos reigns and there is anarchy in the streets. Impoverished socialist provocateur Benito Mussolini meets Ida Dalser, the fiery owner of a beauty salon. Drawn to Mussolini's magnetic personality and animal physicality, Ida begins a torrid affair with him. Enslaving herself to the aloof Mussolini and desperate for his attention, Ida sells all her possessions so he can start a newspaper. She becomes pregnant with his child and they marry quietly. But Mussolini's career is on the rise and he has no time for her, nor for her son, also named Benito. He denies their relationship and marries another woman. In shock and despair, Ida begins stalking Il Duce, petitioning him and the Pope for retribution. When she becomes a nuisance, the Fascists take young Benito away and commit her to an asylum. Veteran director Marco Bellocchio weaves astounding archival footage and stirring period newsreels into his narrative. A grandly operatic film, VINCERE is a chronicle of the passion that can lead a woman – or a nation – from a liaison with a dictator to despair. (In Italian with subtitles) – B.B.