El Paraíso

Julio Cesar is almost forty, but he still lives in a Rome suburb with his mother, who arrived in Italy from Colombia as an illegal immigrant just before his birth. The relationship between the two has unhealthy traits: they are very dependent on each other, with Julio being cowed by her as easily as he dances the salsa with her. They make a living doing odd jobs for a local drug dealer. All changes when one day they come into contact with Ines, a young, attractive drug courier who has just arrived from Colombia. Julio is very interested in her; his mother is jealous.

How do you portray such an unholy, almost incestuous relationship? Director Enrico Maria Artale does it without sensationalism, but with depth and nuance. He wrote the screenplay himself, for which he received an award in Venice, as did lead actress Margarita Rosa de Francisco, who was awarded the prize for Best Actress there.