Gioia mia (2025)

Nico is a child who has to spend the summer with his elderly Sicilian aunt, Gela, because his nanny, Violetta, is getting married and can no longer look after him. His aunt meets him at the airport, and during the drive Nico and Gela begin to get to know each other, forming a difficult relationship shaped by their differences in age and habits. When the boy arrives at his aunt’s home, an old palace, his first concern is whether there is Wi-Fi for his phone, but there is none in the apartment, which is firmly anchored in the past. Nico has to gradually adapt to living in a new world, surrounded by the many religious symbols in his aunt’s home and following the strict rules she imposes, as well as getting used to new flavors and foods. Reluctantly, he befriends Rosa, a girl his age, who introduces him to the group of children living in the building. He begins spending his afternoons with them, playing together or sneaking into vacant apartments in search of the spirits said to inhabit them, according to the beliefs and superstitions of the building’s residents. Meanwhile, Nico and Gela manage to earn each other’s trust, and his aunt opens up to him about her youth.