Summaries

Synopsis

This heart-warming period drama centers around an Italian family in 1950s America when relationships began changing as women entered the workforce full-time and still managed the household. Intercut with 16mm home movies of the era, one woman reflects on her close-knit family that must face social change. Raising her daughter while her husband was away at war gave her self-assurance, but when he returned, he found a more emancipated version of the wife he had left behind. They struggle to reconnect in their marriage as new rules in the Catholic Church condemn the use of contraception. But when their young daughter prays to the Blessed Mother for a baby sister, she questions her religion. Seeking a higher spiritual authority, she goes to the priest, but he only confirms that prayers are answered but just not how we expect, and they will be answered. The family goes away for the weekend in an attempt to rekindle their relationship, when she admits in a moment of candor to her husband the reluctance to have another child. Distraught, the couple end their weekend unhappily, especially after finding their daughter praying to a statue of the Blessed Mother for a baby sister. With fears she might be pregnant, she turns to her sisters who tell her to seek the doctor's opinion. Being overly cautious, the doctor warns against having another pregnancy, and she is left to consider her options, which are very little in the way of choice. A final blowout nearly splits the couple apart when her husband realizes she has changed and is making decisions on her own. Faith is a question that divides them between the church's strict rules and the free thought of women having control over their bodies and lives. Prayers are woven into the story as the backdrop to her emotional surrender, bringing the circle of life to completion after deciding to face whatever comes at the climax. The story resolves the struggle between faith and choice coming together