Successful surgeon Timoteo (Sergio Castellitti) is waiting anxiously as colleagues operate to save the life of his teenage daughter but finds himself possessed by the past as he relives an abusive yet passionate affair from the time of her birth.
When his car breaks down, the younger Timoteo is helped by poor migrant worker Italia (Penélope Cruz) and repays her by drunkenly raping her. Returning the following day to beg forgiveness, he is slowly drawn into a relationship with her as an escape from his pristine but childless, unsatisfying marriage.
The sexual politics of the film may be pretty murky and politically incorrect, but Castellitti and Cruz give such committed performances that their on-screen relationship is never less than compelling and credible.
Indeed, Cruz is so accomplished in her role that it makes her subsequent rise in the Hollywood firmament all the more disappointing, considering the shallow star vehicles in which she's since found herself (Gothika, Vanilla Sky, Sahara).
When his car breaks down, the younger Timoteo is helped by poor migrant worker Italia (Penélope Cruz) and repays her by drunkenly raping her. Returning the following day to beg forgiveness, he is slowly drawn into a relationship with her as an escape from his pristine but childless, unsatisfying marriage.
The sexual politics of the film may be pretty murky and politically incorrect, but Castellitti and Cruz give such committed performances that their on-screen relationship is never less than compelling and credible.
Indeed, Cruz is so accomplished in her role that it makes her subsequent rise in the Hollywood firmament all the more disappointing, considering the shallow star vehicles in which she's since found herself (Gothika, Vanilla Sky, Sahara).