Mario Bernardo

A man and his son take an allegorical stroll through life with a talking bird that spouts social and political philosophy.

Michele, a bourgeois intellectual, adhered to fascism for years. After fighting abroad, he returns home in 1943, but is now tired and refuses to join the Republic of Salò. His comrades still want him with them, but this Social Republic, imposed by the SS arms, does not convince him. The war continues and the situation does not allow one to remain neutral.

Microphone in hand, Pier Paolo Pasolini asks Italians to talk about sex, apparently their least favorite subject: he asks children if they know where do babies come from, asks old and young women about gender equality, and asks both genders if a woman's virginity still matters, how do they view homosexuals, if sex and honor are related, if divorce should be legal, if they support the recent abolition of brothels, etc. He interviews workers, intellectuals, students, rural farmers, the bourgeoisie, and other different people, painting a vivid portrait of Italy in the years of the Economic Boom, suspended between modernity and tradition.

Four short films by four different directors dealing with the principles of modern life.

Mondo documentary.