The War is Over

The War Is Over begins just as Nazi occupation in Italy has ended, during the months when Jewish children and teenagers returned home from concentration camps to find...no family waiting. A few courageous souls help them adjust in an impromptu place with no resources, against the background of an Italy that is exhausted, miserable, and reduced to ruins. Michele Riondino (The Young Montalbano) plays the guilt-ridden Resistance soldier searching for his wife and son who were taken to the camps while he was away. When he sees the plight of the orphans, he joins up with Giulia, the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur, in her efforts to house them on an abandoned estate. Other helpers include a pediatrician and a former officer from the Jewish Brigade who wants to resettle the young people in Palestine. The children all have harrowing stories: there’s Miriam, who once played the piano but doesn’t remember how, Sara who hates the country that created racial laws and destroyed her family, and little Giovanni who cannot speak because of the atrocities he saw. Slowly, they emerge from their horrors and rediscover what it’s like to play, study, and love. Based on real events chronicled by Aharon Megged in “The Story of the Selvino Childrren: Journey to the Promised Land,” The War is Over presents the triumphant story of war survivors finding the resilience to rebuild their lives.