America Latina (2021)

Massimo Sisti is a prosperous dentist, happily married to Alessandra and the father of two teenage daughters, Ilenia and Laura, with whom he lives in a beautiful villa on the outskirts of Latina. His life unfolds peacefully, divided between work and his family, to whom he is deeply devoted. The only exceptions are outings with his friend Simone and visits to his elderly father, with whom he has a very poor relationship. One day, as on any other, Massimo goes down to the basement of his villa to take care of a household matter and finds a little girl there, tied up and gagged. The dentist is shocked and has no idea who could have brought her there or how. The girl is also very aggressive toward him and violently rejects his help. As he tries to decide what to do, Massimo decides to keep the girl prisoner to protect himself and his family, hiding her even from Alessandra and the girls. Massimo’s first suspicions fall on Simone, who had asked him for a small loan some time earlier to pay off a debt. Massimo believes Simone kidnapped the girl to demand a ransom, then hid her in his villa using a copy of the keys. He asks Simone some ambiguous questions and even shows him a photo of the kidnapped girl, but Simone does not seem particularly disturbed. Massimo then asks Roberto, a bartender who is friends with them both, for information, but Roberto refuses to give him any and tells Simone everything. Massimo then tries to follow Simone by car and catch him in the act, but Simone stops him and attacks him. Although he does not really hurt him, he warns him to leave him alone. Meanwhile, the whole affair upends Massimo’s psyche. He realizes that in the recent past he has often suffered memory lapses because of his abuse of alcohol and psychiatric medication. Anxiety and nervousness make it impossible for him to work calmly and begin to undermine the peace at home as well. For this reason, he gradually starts to hate the girl, even as he feels protective toward her, which leads him, despite everything, to keep her warm, give her something to drink, and treat her teeth. Massimo begins to suspect his father, who has been living in poverty for some time and has previously gotten involved in illegal activities to obtain money. The two have an unpleasant confrontation, during which they reproach each other for the ways each has let the other down, while also emphasizing their mutual dependence. At the end of the argument, Massimo breaks down in tears, and his devoted, loving wife Alessandra comforts him. As the days pass, Massimo notices suspicious behavior from his wife and daughters, who act evasively toward him. He begins to suspect they know the girl is in the basement. Tension in the family escalates, and in a fit of rage Massimo breaks the basement pipes, flooding it to punish the girl, whom he now believes is responsible for destroying his peace of mind. Later, however, Massimo discovers that what had been kept from him was a surprise birthday party. During the celebrations, Alessandra takes him aside and asks him to see a psychologist, who could help him regain his peace of mind. Massimo, however, believes that she and the girls can no longer stand his behavior and want to have him committed, so he reacts violently and attacks them. Later, he also turns on the girl in the basement, trying to drown her. Massimo decides to get rid of the girl and the problems she brings once and for all, so he digs a hole to bury her body after he kills her. When he gets home, Alessandra confronts him with reality: he has attacked the people he loves most in the world, and she is therefore thinking of leaving him and taking the girls with her. At that point, Massimo decides to confess to the three of them why he has gone mad. He takes them down to the basement to show them the girl, so they can free her and call for help; once there, however, Alessandra, Laura, and Ilenia mysteriously disappear. As Massimo is taken away by the police, a news report announces that the girl has been freed, but also reveals that the kidnapper (Massimo himself), despite repeatedly asking to see his wife and daughters, is actually unmarried and leads a secluded life, without any affection or human relationships. Taken to prison, Massimo finally becomes calm and peaceful again. In his cell, he is accompanied by images of Alessandra, Ilenia, and Laura, who never leave him.