Io, loro e Lara (2009)

Carlo Mascolo, a missionary priest, decides to return to his hometown of Rome after serving in Africa. His decision to return home is prompted by a crisis of faith he is experiencing: coming back, therefore, is meant to help him sort out his thoughts. Unfortunately, this intention is thwarted by the countless difficulties that engulf him: his family overwhelms him with their problems, and no one seems willing to listen to him. His father is married to Olga, a young Moldovan caregiver, and Carlo’s siblings Beatrice and Luigi are afraid their stepmother will steal their inheritance. The priest himself seems skeptical about his father’s choice, especially when he sees him buy his partner an extremely expensive car. One night, when an ambulance arrives at his father’s house, they think it is for him and, on learning that someone has died, are ready to accuse the caregiver. But to their surprise, they discover that she herself has died, while the distraught widower reproaches them for having “killed” her with their spiteful remarks and ill will. Matters are made no easier by the arrival of Lara, the caregiver’s daughter, whom the family meets at Olga’s funeral. For a while, at Carlo’s father’s insistence, Lara stays in the old family home, alone with the missionary. He begins to form a good relationship with the young woman, but one night, when he happens to enter her room, he discovers that Lara performs on webcam half-naked. Father Carlo is furious, and under pressure from his siblings is persuaded to spy on her to find out what kind of life she leads. He finds her at the Colosseum, where she works as a tour guide to earn some money. Lara notices the priest and, enraged, confronts him, explaining that things are very different from how they appear: she is desperately trying to obtain custody of her little son, but the social worker will not grant it until Lara can provide the necessary assurances. By making an agreement with Carlo and his siblings in the presence of a notary, she forces them to organize a lunch for everyone, with social worker Elisa Draghi and a colleague present, in order to persuade them to grant her custody by showing them the warm welcome the child would receive. But the lunch goes badly indeed: before the guests arrive, three prostitutes—Hakira, Madou, and Sofia—whom the priest had met in Africa, turn up asking for shelter because their pimps are chasing them. The pimps reach the apartment and, after Carlo drives them away, begin shooting at the windows. At the same time, his brother keeps showing signs—through his nose and the white powder left on his jacket—that he is a habitual cocaine user. Lara is desperate, and the situation seems hopeless, but a few days later Carlo goes in person to see the social worker and explain the source of the various misunderstandings. She has fallen in love with the missionary because he is the double of her deceased husband, and even tries to seduce him, but he rejects her. By using this harassment to his advantage, Carlo succeeds, and the child is placed in his mother’s custody. Reconciled with his family and his faith, the priest returns to Africa with the three young women.