Giuseppe Bertolucci (younger brother of Bernardo and co-writer of 1900 and LA LUNA) as a director of international stature. Already well-known in Italy for OGGETTI SMARRITI. a film set entirely in Milan's railway station, and a series of set-pieces on the intricacies of Italian party politics starring Roberto Renigni, the famous comic actor. Bertolucci can now aspire to much wider recognition.The film is structured round four parallel stories involving seven of Italy's best actresses - among them Lea Massari, Alida Valli, Stefania Sandrelli, and Mariangela Melato - representing characters from all walks of life. The point of intersection is terrorism, and its cause and effect on the lives of ordinary people. Without false sensationalism and with great intelligence and sensibility. Bertolucci weaves his richly-textured narratives into an examination of a phenomenon which has left its mark on Italian society, and still threatens to resurface. Some of the performances are stunning, and the film looks as handsome as its cast.