By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Salvatore Mereu
Starring: Daniele Casula | Michele Carboni | Yaël Abecassis
Original language title: Ballo a tre passi
Country: italy
Year: 2004
Running time: 106
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389778/combined
Bruce says: “The four seasons represent the four stages of life in THREE STEP DANCING. The film is not about the life of any single person, it is the collective lives of the residents of a village in Sardinia. The story is told in four vignettes. While most of the villagers are present in each tale, the central character varies.
“Spring – a young pre-adolescent boy is hiding a bathing suit which he plans to use on an outing to the seashore. He and his friends have never seen the sea even though they live a relatively short distance away, at least by our standards. Once by the sea the boys romp in the water. The son of the man driving the truck is an outsider in the group and he is content to watch the others from a distance.
“Summer – A young shepherd is tending his flock by the sea when an aviatrix lands her plane on the shore. She is sexy and seductive. The shepherd ultimately loses his virginity to the mysterious woman.
“Fall – A novice nun is summoned home for an emergency. The occasion is her sister’s wedding. She wistfully takes part in the festivities, never completely feeling comfortable in the world which she has already left behind. She knows that this is her last venture into the secular world.
“Winter – an old man prepares a dinner for a prostitute. He is dying and his death is symbolized by the aviatrix lifting him to
the sky in her plane while the entire village looks on.
“Only three of the actors in THREE STEP DANCING are professionals, the others have been recruited from the local villages. Nothing about this film seems made up. Even the fantasy scenes in Summer and Fall are infused with a vague reality. Sardinia itself is rugged simplicity as are its inhabitants. It is amazing to think that a place such as this truly exists.” 3 1/2 cats