Il cielo cade (2000)

1943. In the middle years of the Second World War, Penny and Baby, two little sisters from Tuscany, are orphaned when both their parents die. Their German aunt and uncle, Katchen and Wilhelm Einstein (a cousin of the scientist Albert), take them into their care, and the girls move into their villa in Tuscany. The two children struggle to adjust to their new reality: Penny, the older of the two, has been raised under the strong influence of Catholicism and Fascist propaganda, while their uncle Wilhelm, Jewish by birth but an atheist and free thinker, has little patience for the girls’ behavior. Gradually, thanks in part to Katchen’s efforts, the girls become part of the Einstein family. After an initial conflict, they become friends with their cousins and some local children; they learn to know and love the household staff, as well as the small circle of friends and intellectuals around the family. Penny also begins to feel genuine affection for Uncle Wilhelm, becoming concerned for the salvation of his soul and fearing that he will never come to love her as a true member of his family. Meanwhile, the girl has many new experiences that gradually change her views on the war, the Fascist regime, and her own life. After the Allied invasion of Sicily, the conflict intensifies, and the German army becomes an increasingly familiar presence in the family’s daily life. Wilhelm, a committed anti-Nazi, begins secretly helping the Allies. Penny therefore begins to fear not only for her uncle’s soul, but also for his survival. In the summer of 1944, Wilhelm discovers that the SS are marching toward his home and decides to hide in the woods as a precaution, convinced that his wife and daughters, who were not born Jewish, are safe. This mistake proves fatal: after refusing to reveal where Wilhelm is hiding, Katchen is shot along with her daughters, while Penny and Baby are forced to watch the massacre helplessly. When the SS leave the house, Wilhelm returns, but, unable to bear the grief, he takes his own life. As Penny and Baby leave their uncle’s house with what remains of the family, their friends, and the household staff, news arrives that the area has been liberated by the Allies.