Margins 2022

In Grosseto, 2008, Francesco Turbanti plays Michele, Emanuele Linfatti portrays Edoardo, and Matteo Creatini brings Iacopo to life as three friends who form the street punk band Wait for Nothing. They tour the province, weaving through local festivals and fairs, chasing a taste of something bigger even as they wrestle with the grind and monotony of life in a city that feels “two hours from everything.”

Michele, an unemployed skinhead, is married to Margherita Silvia D’Amico, a supermarket cashier, and father to a young daughter Alice Aurora Malianni. He loves sharing his music with his daughter, hoping the melodies might open a door out of routine. Edoardo, meanwhile, reluctantly works at the local disco Sala Eden, a venue run by his mother’s partner, Adriano Melis Nicola Rignanese. Iacopo, born into a wealthy bourgeois family, studies the cello and dreams of joining Daniel Barenboim’s French tour, believing the classical world might someday meet the raw energy of their punk circle.

The trio feels the weight of provincial life, but their spirits lift when a chance arises: they are set to open for a famous American punk band, The Defense, in Bologna. When that date is unexpectedly canceled, they pivot, reaching out to The Defense with a bold proposal—come to Grosseto instead. The offer is accepted, and the prospect of a big gig sparks renewed energy for the group.

Organizing the concert proves chaotic and costly. Securing a suitable venue and the required equipment becomes a cascade of delays and dead ends. The Municipality shows little enthusiasm, having already earmarked resources for a historical reenactment of Louis IV the Bavarian’s siege, leaving the band to fend for themselves. At his mother’s urging, Edoardo tries to negotiate with Adriano Melis to book Sala Eden, but the plan collapses after a heated quarrel involving the trio and the entrepreneur. Facing dead ends, they settle for a dilapidated community hall offered by the Municipality, hoping it can be turned into a decent concert space.

Meanwhile, Michele faces a personal setback: he misses a job interview arranged by Margherita, and in a moment of pressure, secretly uses his wife’s money to cover The Defense’s plane tickets to Italy. Iacopo learns of Barenboim’s call for the orchestral tour—the timing aligns with the Grosseto concert—yet he hesitates about how to break the news to Michele.

With finances stretched thin and nerves frayed, the trio makes a reckless choice. They decide to steal Adriano Melis’ equipment by sneaking into Sala Eden at night, only to vandalize the place in the process. The incident lands them at the police station. Melis agrees not to press charges for the moment, while Edoardo’s mother kicks him out but leaves him the equipment needed for the show. Iacopo later reveals his intention to leave Grosseto to pursue a full orchestral career, and the three friends drift apart after another argument.

The long-anticipated concert finally arrives as The Defense steps into Grosseto, drawing a large and eager crowd. The next day, Michele and Edoardo find themselves back at the police station as the front page of Il Tirreno reads, “Punk concert shocks the city. Two Grosseto residents reported.” Despite the chaos, they feel the night belonged to them, and as they drive through the streets, they sing along to Massimo Ranieri’s classic Se bruciasse la città, letting the music carry them beyond the day’s troubles.