Vincere

Vincere tells the story of Ida Dalser, a woman who becomes involved with Benito Mussolini in the years before he rose to power. Set in the early twentieth century, it follows their relationship from Milan, where he is an ambitious socialist agitator and newspaper editor, through her decision to sell off her possessions to help him start a paper of his own. She believes in him and in his ideas, and she bears him a son, Benito Albino. When Mussolini turns toward fascism and takes power, he disowns both mother and child and marries another woman. Much of the film concerns Ida's refusal to accept this erasure and her determined effort to be recognised as his wife and the mother of his first son.

Marco Bellocchio directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Daniela Ceselli. Giovanna Mezzogiorno plays Ida, with Filippo Timi as Mussolini, alongside Fausto Russo Alesi, Michela Cescon, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Corrado Invernizzi. The film sits between Notes for a Movie About Uncle Vania and Dormant Beauty in Bellocchio's filmography.

Released in 2009, Vincere runs 128 minutes and was produced in Italy and France. It had a budget of about 13 million dollars and took roughly 6 million dollars worldwide, a fraction of its cost. Audiences are moderately positive: it holds 6.9/10 on IMDb from around 6,100 votes and 6.7/10 on TMDB from far fewer. Critics were warmer, giving it 7.6/10 across 93 reviews.