Happy as Lazzaro

Lazzaro is a young peasant of unusual kindness, living and working on an estate called Inviolata, where the tenants labor for the marquise Alfonsina de Luna and accept their lot without question. Lazzaro's willingness to help everyone makes him easy to take advantage of, and he seems to expect nothing in return. One summer he becomes friends with Tancredi, the marquise's son, whose imagination sets him apart from his family. The bond between the two young men is tested when Tancredi involves Lazzaro in a plan of his own devising, and a deception that has shaped life on the estate begins to unravel, carrying Lazzaro out of the countryside and into the modern world.

Alice Rohrwacher wrote and directed the film, her fourth feature, following Corpo Celeste, The Wonders and 9×10 Ninety. Adriano Tardiolo plays Lazzaro, with Luca Chikovani and Tommaso Ragno as the younger and older Tancredi, Alba Rohrwacher as Antonia, and Sergi López as Ultimo, among 37 credited cast members. The production was a European co-production involving Italy, Germany, France and Switzerland, and it took about 2 million dollars at the worldwide box office.

On IMDb the film holds 7.5 out of 10 from around 23,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4 out of 10 from 792 votes. A critics' rating of 7.9 out of 10 from 92 reviews places it slightly above those audience scores.