A Castle in Italy

Louise is part of a once-powerful Italian industrial dynasty whose private world is fraying. After she meets Nathan, old hopes and fantasies start to reappear even as family obligations and illness pull her in different directions. The film follows her attempts to balance tenderness and resentment, the slow decline of her brother's health, and her mother's stubborn attachment to a fading legacy. Intense household scenes sit alongside quieter moments of flirtation and regret, so the story feels like watching a household weather a series of fragile, human decisions rather than a sequence of dramatic events.

Released in 2013, the film was directed by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, who also stars as Louise. The screenplay was developed with Agnès de Sacy and Noémie Lvovsky, giving the film a literary, intimate tone rooted in personal observation.

The picture had a relatively limited theatrical run, finding most of its audience on the festival circuit and in art house cinemas. It did not register as a major commercial hit, and its box office was modest compared with mainstream releases.

Though it never became a mainstream talking point, the film has been picked up by European arthouse viewers for its candid family dynamics and naturalistic performances. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's work in front of and behind the camera is often singled out, and a handful of scenes, especially those in the family home, are frequently referenced in discussions of recent Franco-Italian cinema.

Critical reaction was mixed, reflected in an average score around the midrange. Reviewers tended to praise the acting and the film's melancholic atmosphere while pointing to a loose narrative structure. Major themes include the erosion of privilege, the quiet weight of illness, and the tentative possibility of new affection in the middle of upheaval.