Ten out of ten is inadequate for this film; twenty out of ten would be more appropriate. This is one of the most rewarding and moving films to be made for years. Everything about the film shows genius at work, the directing, the writing, the acting, all of the highest possible quality. Somebody should invent 'international Oscars' to award to it. The story is double-stranded, complex, interweaving, compelling, intriguing, everything one wants really. The film is dedicated to Massimo Girotti, who died before its release and gave one of its finest performances as the enigmatic old man, 'Simone', around whom both intertwining stories revolve. One does not wish to betray the plot surprises and revelations by explaining too much. The whole film is based upon whether a man takes a left turn or a right turn, and the tragic consequences either way. One story takes place in 1943, and the other in the current day, but not everyone still alive is new to the story, as the viewer discovers, as layer after layer of revelation occurs. The film is so deeply pathetic, tragic, emotional, and at the same time life-affirming that all the emotions are let loose at once. And all those pastries! What a feast!