Shalom Italia

The three brothers drive in Tuscany and talk about the experience of being in the cave. Emmanuel, the eldest, has a strong memory of hunger, running out of food and having only sardines to eat. One third of a sardine per person per day was the ration. The story of salty sardines sparks Bubi’s memory of sardines and leads him to realize why he couldn’t stand to eat sardines as an adult.

The brothers return to see their childhood home in Campoli from where they were forced to flee. They share memories of their father planting four Cypress trees, now full grown, in their garden - one for each of his sons. They also recall the night of their escape. While unable to enter the home, walking amidst the grounds each brother quietly experiences his connection to memory and place.

The three brothers eat a meal together and recall how they procured food while in hiding in the cave. Bubi retells a version of history that is different than Emmanuel’s memory. The brothers explore if absolute truth is relevant to history and the role of stories and legend.

This clip is the opening scene of the film. We meet each brother as an older man and hear in his own words his memory of the Holocaust and the cave and their reasons for returning to Italy some 70 years later to retrace their survival during World War Two.

Tamar Tal Anati explains how the three brothers in Shalom Italia each have a different perspective and understanding of the truth when remembering the past.