Synopsis

Naples, 1956: Vittorio is an 11-year old boy with a fervid imagination who loves movies, particularly those featuring his idol, Susan Hayward. He moves to a run-down area with his younger sister, his German mother and his father, a philandering Communist who barely manages to support his family. During an excursion into the city, Vittorio discovers a NATO camp. It seems straight out of a Hollywood movie: dancing, drinking, music, a giant movie screen and the woman of his dreams – Susan Hayward, who happens to be engaged in an intimate conversation with a man. Vittorio believes Susan is in Naples in incognito and in desperate need of the boy’s help to evade her despotic husband who understands nothing of movies. In reality Susan is Ruth, the wife of an American general. She does bear a striking resemblance to the movie star, and Vittorio proves the ideal aid for her infidelities: she enlists the boy to guide her through Naples as a cover for encounters with her lover. When the general commits suicide, Ruth decides to return to America. Vittorio realizes that no matter how much he desires to go with her, his place is with his family. Real life is about to begin for him, too.