In 1950s Puglia, headstrong young Nena (Isabella Ragonese, also seen in Our Life and One Life, Maybe Two) is sent to a mountain village many miles away for her first teacher placement. Unhappily leaving her wealthy boyfriend behind, she faces a scruffy set of undereducated pupils and a group of locals suspicious of outsiders. Bored and depressed, she socializes little and faces gossip and accusations that she is unfit to instruct. Debuting director Cecere takes the time to depict the daily life of the villagers as Nena accustoms herself to the place’s traditions and pace. With a style that tells the story visually rather than verbally, this is a moving portrait of an independent woman attempting to overcome the restrictions placed against her.


Il primo incarico, Italy 2010, 90 min. Written by Giorgia Cecere, Li Xiang-yang, Pierpaolo Pirone. Photographed by Gianni Troilo. With Isabella Ragonese, Francesco Chiarello, Alberto Boll, Miriana Protopapa, Rita Schirinz. Bianca Film.