An Italian Name 2015

Paolo Pontecorvo, played by Alessandro Gassmann, is a successful real estate agent known for his quick wit and love of practical jokes. He and his wife Simona, played by Micaela Ramazzotti, are expecting a child. During a dinner at the home of his sister Betta Pontecorvo (played by Valeria Golino) and her husband Sandro De Luca (played by Luigi Lo Cascio), along with their friend Claudio (played by Rocco Papaleo), Paolo dramatically reveals the chosen name for the baby: Benito.

The name is not a benign joke. It is part of a prank that unsettles the gathering, because the guests—people with strong emotional ties to Italy’s Fascist era—react with anger and defensiveness. What starts as a playful provocation quickly spirals into a heated confrontation, pulling at the threads of long-held beliefs, loyalties, and personal choices. Secrets, connected in some way to each other, begin to surface, threatening to unravel marriages, friendships, and family ties.

As the night unfolds, the atmosphere grows dense with accusation, misunderstanding, and remorse. Each participant discovers that their own past and present motives may be more intertwined than they realized, forcing everyone to confront who they are and what they stand for. Yet, even amid the turmoil, a thread of hope runs through the center of the gathering: the anticipation of new life.

In the end, the moment of reconciliation arrives with the birth of the baby, and in a final twist, the child is revealed to be a girl. The film leaves viewers with a quiet, reflective note about how new life can soften old resentments and remind people of what they share, even when their memories pull them in different directions.