Beyond the precisely composed editing and direction , the neorealist plotline sketches a portrait of a working - class family struggling with the loss of the patriarch , especially 18 - year - old vincenzo , now the de facto head of household . made up of moments and ellipses , the magic is in how we are able to construct the story from the clues scattered across the spellbinding celluloid 父亲死后安素的家顿时瓦解,妈妈精神崩溃,妹妹跑去车厂当生产线工人,他苦寻工作无望,想去偷去抢,都闯不过良心一关,和女友闹翻之后决定投军,却从科索沃带回一生的烙印。