The Border

The story

The film follows the parallel stories of two young Dalmatians: Habsburg officer Emidio Orlich deserts in the winter of 1916 to fight alongside the Italians against Austria; in the summer of 1941, Lieutenant Franco Velich of the Italian army returns to his birth island, which is also Emidio's birthplace. He returns as an Italian officer recovering from battles in North Africa. The island, once part of Yugoslavia, is now occupied by the Italian army, a situation Franco experiences uncomfortably. While staying on the island, he clashes with Emidio's mother and niece, whose story was told to him by Simeone, a wise old man who looks at the current situation with detachment, but with little hope. The film explores the issue of identity as something violently imposed.