caro diario

Plot

The film is made up of three autobiographical episodes: sections, as the title suggests, of an open diary—that of film director and film producer Nanni Moretti.

In vespa (On a Vespa)

The first episode follows the director/main character riding a Vespa through the neighbourhoods of a summery and half-deserted Rome. Shots of landscape, architecture, and beautiful monuments accompany his thoughts which range from critiques of Hollywood cinema (specifically the contemporary movie 'Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer'), to critiques of banalization of the Italian cinema, to a chance meeting with Jennifer Beals, to sociology and urbanism. The episode ends at Ostia, close to the place where Pier Paolo Pasolini was killed.

Isole (Islands)

The second episode cuts to Nanni escaping from the frenzy of city life on a jouney through the Aeolian Islands. Visiting his friend Gerardo on the island of Lipari, he retired to study on the lost island where he can't even receive the television signal. But he is unable to find the tranquillity he desires, due to the number of tourists. So Nanni, accompanied by Gerardo, moves to the island of Salina. The two are welcomed by a couple, friends of Gerardo, who seem incapable of managing the education of an extremely over-indulged child. (Indeed the entire island seems to be under the rule of children.) Gerardo lets himself be influenced by the boy, who spends hours in front of the television, and discovers soap opera. Gradually Gerard becomes entirely dependant upon the genre. Nanni, now even more exasperated, decides to move, still accompanied by Gerardo, to the island of Stromboli, but even this choice proves unfortunate: the two now have to deal with a megalomaniac mayor who wants to involve them in the most odd projects. While visiting the volcano Gerardo becomes still more gripped by the soap operas, to the point of asking American tourists what happens in the episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful which haven't been broadcast in Italy yet.

Disgruntled by the latest failure Nanni decides to move on the island of Alicudi, the least civilized of all, lacking water and electricity. At last Nanni seems satisfied with the accommodation, but Gerardo is impelled to escape from the island as soon as he realizes he cannot follow his favourite soap opera there.

Medici (Doctors)

The final episode narrates the difficult diagnosis of an illness, which affected Moretti, in real life and has the symptoms of persistent itching and disturbing insomnia. Nanni goes through a load of doctors and specialists who, between superficiality and false knowledge, suggest the most bizarre and wrong diagnoses. His desperation is such that he also tries the strangest treatments, like Acupuncture. After having tried them all, another doctor suggests a biopsy thanks to which he is diagnosed as suffering from a treatable lymphatic system tumour. The illness' symptoms, found by Nanni on a medical encyclopedia, are those which he had declared to the many "deaf", doctors. The episode concludes with a bitter and sarcastic brindisi alla salute (English: To health!), accompanied by a glass of water.