Lord of the Ants Il signore delle formiche

Synopsis

1968 Italy. Soft-spoken poet and playwright Aldo Braibanti is arrested, accused of breaking a Fascist-era law against leading a person morally astray—coded language designed to criminilaize homosexuality. The accusers are the family of his romantic partner, a former student who is committed by his parents to a psychiatric hospital where he might be “cured.” With every aspect of his life scrutinized and his own freedom on the line, Braibanti takes up his own defense, even as he faces a years-long prison sentence. Meanwhile, a crusading journalist searches for the truth about the case, bringing it to the widespread attention of the public. Veteran filmmaker Gianni Amelio (Open Doors, The Stolen Children) crafts an impassioned, clear-eyed narrative based on Braibanti’s life, told from alternating perspectives, that feels all too resonant amid today’s turbulent landscape.