COME INTO THE LIGHT (ALLA LUCE DEL SOLE) European Film Showcase

“I came back in order to help good people step out with their head held high,” stated father Giuseppe Puglisi, appointed by the archbishop of Palermo to his native parish of Brancaccio, a suburb of the Sicilian metropolis. Three years later, on his birthday, he was shot by the Mafia.

In his new film, director Roberto Faenza turns his attention to the troubled time when the Mafia stepped up its aggression towards the Italian state, and, by carrying out bomb attacks in Rome, Florence and Milan, also demonstrated its influence outside Sicily. More than 10 years after the priest’s violent death, Faenza returns to Puglisi’s three-year attempt to prevent street kids from being gradually transformed into members of criminal organizations. The director avoids superficial glorification of the hero and provides almost surprisingly laconic testimony to his character and endeavors. The subtle urgency of the film is underscored by Luca Zingaretti’s excellent starring performance.