Stories from the Chestnut Woods

Within the forest lives the Stingy Carpenter, Mario (Massimo De Francovich). Stubborn in his old age, Mario is known for his unflappable competitive nature and for his preoccupations with income. He fails to notice his wife's descent into illness, one among several missed opportunities to care for his loved ones. Mario tries to impart his hard-gained wisdom to Marta (Ivana Roscic), the Last Chestnut Seller, who has been left to tend the chestnut groves after her husband's departure. In their decaying surroundings, these lonely souls share fond memories — transformed into imaginative tales — and melancholic contemplations of their futures. Should they remain, haunted by a life that was, or does another path call: joining countless others on the rickety cart to world unknown? (Toronto International Film Festival)