Set during the late 1930s and using Hitler's first trip to Italy and the myopia of fascism as the stories lynch pin we watch the unexpected burgeoning of an intense relationship between a bored bigoted middle aged wife and her homosexual, possibly suicidal neighbour. Ettore Scola creates an intense and revelatory scenario between his two protagonists, while Loren and Mastroianni give mesmerising performances in the central roles, perfectly capturing the mood of two ordinary people on the cusp of epiphany