Libera

This high-energy three part comedy has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, as it shows three different women coping with difficult situations which are usually sexual in origin, even if the moment of romance is long past. In the first tale, Aurora has gotten used to a cozy, wealthy life, but begins to see that world destroyed when her husband is caught in bed (offscreen) with his secretary. Later, he flees the country to avoid getting arrested for something else he has done. Aurora no longer has the trappings of wealth, and returns to her modest beginnings to revive her life. In the second episode, Carmela is just welcoming her wayward son back to their slum home after he has spent a stint in reform school. Some reform! Not only has he just confessed to her that he’s gay, but he has become a heroin addict. It doesn’t seem like it can get any worse when his real father shows up on the scene, and certain unlikely facts are quickly clarified. Finally, Libera works at a newsstand outside of Naples as the sole breadwinner for her family. She is tired of her husband lounging in their house when he is not out tomcatting around with prostitutes, and decides to do something about it. Her solution to the problem is novel: she secretly has him filmed in bed with the women, and is marketing the tapes of these encounter at her newsstand. The outcome is quite a surprise, but will she be happier than she was before? (Clarke Fountain)