LIVES of the SAINTS Synopsis
LIVES OF THE SAINTS Synopsis “Where pride is, the snake goes,” Italian proverb Adultery, the evil eye, and a snakebite are the circumstances that shape the childhood of Vittorio Innocente in the small village of Valle De Sole in a society dominated by religion and superstition. LIVES OF THE SAINTS begins in an Italy almost unchanged since the beginning of the last century—moving across time from the horrors of wartime Italy to the swinging counterculture that dominated Toronto in the late 60’s. This “intimate epic” travels from the sun-drenched Mediterranean to the frozen Arctic, to the flatlands of rural Ontario and finally back to the isolated hilltop village of Valle del Sole, Italy (Valley of the Sun), 20 years later in a story suffused with mystery, and betrayal. Who will pay for the sins and secrets of the family past? Vittorio’s turbulent childhood revolves around his love for his mother, Cristina, (whose husband Mario, has emigrated to Canada) but is informed by his Aunt Teresa (Sophia Loren). Also the village schoolteacher, she is his disciplinarian and his moral guide. To enhance his lessons, she uses stories from a religious picture book Lives of the Saints which she gives him 1 as a gift when he leaves Valle De Sole with his mother for the hope of a new and better life in Canada. A widow, Teresa is the glue that holds the family together while Cristina (Sabrina Ferilli), an independent spirit, is strong-willed and fiery. The village is full of whispers when Cristina is bitten in the barn by a poisonous snake.
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