One Way or Another

During a remote retreat of Christian Democrat politicians, a tight circle gathers for spiritual exercises that double as a stage for political maneuvering. Behind ceremonial calm, subtle power plays unfold as personalities collide and a string of disturbing crimes unsettles the group. The setting is deliberately claustrophobic, turning offices and conference rooms into pressure chambers where allegiance is tested and public virtue frays into private advantage. The story keeps its twists small and its revelations suggestive, focusing on mood and implication rather than obvious sensationalism. As suspicions mount, the line between friend and foe blurs, hinting at a deeper rot at the heart of a ruling class. The camera lingers on narrow corridors and silent stairwells, making the retreat feel like a trap where every gesture counts. A hush follows each new hint, and voices tremble with doubt about loyalties and secrets.

Directed by Elio Petri and released in 1976, the film adapts Leonardo Sciascia's story with a screenplay by Berto Pelosso and Sciascia, featuring Gian Maria Volonté as M and Marcello Mastroianni as Don Gaetano.

Box office data for this title is not readily available. As an art house political drama from the mid 1970s, it is best known for its ideas and performances rather than commercial success.

Among cinephiles, the film is appreciated for its austere, controlled style and its blunt critique of how political groups shield themselves behind rituals. It helped frame a lineage of Italian political thrillers that blend mystery with moral inquiry and institutional critique. The restrained look and deliberate pacing inspire discussions about surveillance, complicity, and the private cost of public power. Scholars also note its stark portrayal of how ritual and consensus can mask coercion.

Critics highlighted its tight plotting and its insistence that power operates in quiet rooms as much as in loud speeches. The film treats ambition, complicity, and secrecy as corrosive forces that erode democracy, leaving viewers to read between the lines. Several critics call it a chilling study of democracy under pressure and the danger of political theater replacing accountability.