A Milanese worker signs on, against his fiancée's wishes, for a year-and-a-half-long project building a petrochemical plant in Sicily. Using the leisurely, unpredictable narrative style he introduced in Il posto, Olmi documents the man’s arrival in Sicily, the process of getting oriented to his new surroundings, and the group activities he participates in guardedly. Going beyond both mere naturalism and the naturalism of consciousness that was the great discovery of neorealism, Olmi uses short flashbacks, fantasy scenes and scenes not clearly anchored to time and consciousness. These shots become more expressive and uncontrollable, a flood of images triggered by the lovers' letters to each other, while the present-time narrative consists mainly of downtime, waiting, idle amusements. The soundtrack layers industrial or ambient sounds and music over images that wander and open to larger spheres, heightening the poignancy of the film. – Chris Fujiwara