A Special Day (1977)

As the late 1930s unfurl in Rome, a special date is etched into history - May 6, 1938. This day bears witness to the first state visit of Adolf Hitler to Italy, a momentous occasion that will be celebrated with a grand parade in honor of the political alliance between Hitler and Italy's "Il Duce", Benito Mussolini. A sea of Romans, eager to revel in the spectacle with their leader, flood the city streets. Yet, two lone souls, Antonietta Taberi and Gabriele, remain amidst the deserted tenements, far removed from the national fervor. Antonietta, bound by the shackles of domesticity, yearns to partake in the festivities, but her allegiance to her husband Emanuele and their six children, all absent at the parade, chains her to her home. Her mundane life, brimming with thankless chores and an unloving marriage, is starkly contrasted by Gabriele's world. He is an ex-announcer on Italian Public Radio, who, in the shadow of a personal crisis, finds himself grappling with a life-altering decision, one that is far removed from the pomp of the parade. Fate, in the guise of an escaped myna bird, interweaves their paths, leading Antonietta to Gabriele's apartment. This serendipitous encounter offers a brief respite from Antonietta's thankless existence, while for Gabriele, it provides a lifeline from the precipice of his despair. Together, they traverse the day, two strangers bound by the undercurrents of repression, discovering that they might share more common ground than they could ever have imagined. In a world obsessed with power and spectacle, it's their unlikely companionship that truly makes this day special.

A Special Day is a drama movie featuring Sophia Loren.

A Special Day is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.

It is also possible to buy A Special Day on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu and YouTube.