Dark Eyes

Romano sits in the empty restaurant aboard an Italian ship, nursing a drink as Pavel enters. The two men strike up a conversation and exchange brief background details. Romano casually mentions that he once traveled to Russia because of a woman, piquing Pavel's curiosity.

Romano reveals he grew up poor, studied architecture, but never practiced after marrying Elisa, a wealthy woman who now runs a bank she inherited. With little to do, he takes a solitary holiday at an expensive spa. There he meets Anna, a Russian woman who shares her own story of hardship and a loveless marriage for security.

Anna tells Romano about her poor background and her marriage to a rich man for security. The two spend one night together, and Anna leaves Romano with a farewell letter before returning to Russia. This encounter plants the seed of Romano's enduring obsession with a possible future with her.

Determined, Romano travels to Russia under the pretense of pursuing business opportunities in Anna's remote town. He secretly follows Anna and eventually meets her again in a secluded henhouse, vowing to wait until she can join him. The journey marks a commitment that will destabilize multiple lives.

In Russia, Romano covertly observes Anna as her husband hosts a reception, then meets her in a henhouse to reaffirm his promise. He tells her that if she waits for him, he will travel to Italy and separate from his wife. The scene foreshadows a dramatic rift back home.

Romano returns to Italy to a grim revelation: Elisa's bank has collapsed and bailiffs have put their palatial house up for sale. The collapse shatters their comfortable life and forces a painful reckoning about wealth and loyalty. The pair must confront the consequences of Romano's hidden ambitions.

Elisa welcomes Romano back and holds the farewell letter from Anna, probing whether he has a lover in Russia. Romano denies the affair, and the couple tentatively reconciles. The moment reinforces how close deception and affection sit in their marriage.

Later, Elisa unexpectedly inherits a legacy that restores their ability to live in opulence. The windfall allows them to resume their previous lifestyle and solidifies their status. The couple's fortunes seem to swing back toward stability, despite the secrets lingering beneath the surface.

Pavel reveals that his own wife left a very unhappy marriage and that it took him a long time to persuade her to remarry. His story echoes Romano's longing and deepens the emotional resonance of their conversation. The confession adds layers to the film's meditation on commitment and risk.

The ship's cook interrupts their storytelling, calling Romano to start laying the tables for lunch. The interruption jolts the emotional exchange and forces the men back to their roles aboard the vessel. The moment underscores the contrast between romantic longing and daily duties.

Pavel, realizing that Romano is employed on the ship, excuses himself from the conversation and goes to look for his wife. The realization that their fates are entangled with the ship's social fabric adds a suspensive twist to the tale. The moment shifts the narrative from private longing to public revelation.

The sequence culminates in the twist that Anna is Pavel's wife, tying together Romano's pursuit and Pavel's personal life. The revelation occurs as Pavel seeks his wife, whom he discovers on the same ship. The ending leaves the trio interconnected by a web of past desires and present consequences.