In 1978, members of the Red Brigade kidnapped Italian prime minister Aldo Moro and held him captive for 55 days. His Christian Democrat Party and the Vatican refused to negotiate with the terrorists even though the captured politician wrote them eloquent letters from the small room where he was confined. Writer and director Marco Bellocchio uses this ethically charged incident to probe the meaning of revolutionary zeal, politics, and the small steps from empathy to compassion.
Chiara (Maya Sansa) is a member of the Communist Red Brigade headed by Mariano (Luigi Lo Cascio), a fervent believer in the revolution that must come when the workers overthrow the oppressive class that keeps them down. Her political ardor comes from the example of her father who died fighting fascists. Roberto Moro (Roberto Herlitzka) is brought to the small Rome apartment after his capture, during which five of his body guards are slain. Chiara has a cover job working for the government. Her position is complicated when a colleague (Pablo Briguglia) takes an interest in her; he has written a screenplay about a terrorist kidnapping titled "Good Morning, Night."
At first, Chiara's responsibilities at the apartment keep her too busy to process her feelings. One of the ironies is that the kidnappers are prisoners as much as Moro is, given all the attention they must devote to feeding him, watching him around the clock, and making sure that they are not discovered. When the commitment to the cause wavers in one of her compatriots, Chiara says: "We are soldiers. Show some revolutionary spirit!"
But as the long confinement begins to wear on her nerves, she wonders about the wisdom of Mariano's strategy of putting Moro on trial and finding him guilty of crimes against the people. She starts having strange nightmares. Then, after the prime minister learns that he will be executed, Chiara is drawn into empathy with him as he writes emotional letters to his family and friends. Her zeal melts even more as she peeps through a keyhole and witnesses Moro's quiet dignity in the face of his impending death. Good Morning, Night presents a chilling look at the righteous indignation of terrorists while at the same time revealing the firepower of empathy and its close relative compassion.
Special feature includes a bonus documentary: Same Rage, Same Spring.
