A quiet, beautiful, persistently visionary film about life in the large sense of Life (but not The Tree of Life). Using hills and a village in Southern Italy — also a herdsman, goats, bells, a dog, a giant tree, a kiln, a potion, a Catholic (but almost pagan) ritual, and even ideas of the ancient philosopher Pythagoras — Michelangelo Frammartino takes us gently and deeply into the land, the lives, the village, the seasons. It comes full circle and fits together superbly, a poem about a world more rooted in nature than in history, at least our hectic modern history. Take a chance, and show patience. (2011) — David Elliott
This movie is not currently in theaters.