Bella ciao (2000): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2000, Bella ciao is a drama film directed by Stéphane Giusti.

What it’s about. A man struggles to support his family while remaining true to his ideals in this drama set in Europe during the 1930s. Orfeo Mancini and his wife Nella are a pair of working-class Italians who years ago swore allegiance to the Communist party. With Mussolini on the rise, Orfeo and Nella come to the conclusion that they are no longer welcome in their native land, and they decide to pull up stakes and move to America with their two children. As a result of some confusion en route, the Mancinis end up in Marseilles rather than the United States; needing work, Orfeo takes a job working as a manual laborer for a wealthy landowner. This requires a serious amount of pride-swallowing on Orfeo's part, since his new boss is an Italian expatriate who once courted Nella. The situation becomes all the more difficult for Orfeo when his employer throws his allegiances behind the growing fascist movement.

Who’s in it. Bella ciao stars Isabelle Carré as La Liberté / Marie, Jacques Gamblin as Orféo, Yaël Abecassis as Nella and Jalil Lespert as Oreste, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 2.0/10, Bella ciao has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Bella ciao page.

If you liked it. Fans of Bella ciao tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.