Fists in the Pocket

Four siblings and their blind, widowed mother live together in a provincial villa. Alessandro and Leone are epileptics, while Giulia is mentally disturbed. Augusto, the eldest, is the family’s sole provider, and the tense dynamic between the siblings foreshadows tragedy.

Lucia receives an anonymous letter claiming she is pregnant by Augusto. Augusto immediately suspects Giulia wrote the letter, revealing her manipulation of the family. The incident foreshadows a dangerous power struggle within the household.

Alessandro resolves that removing his mother and siblings would allow Augusto to be free to live with Lucia. He resents Augusto’s apparent dominance and plots to consolidate his own influence at the family’s expense. The plan reveals the depth of Alessandro’s jealousy and moral decay.

Alessandro arranges a periodic trip to the cemetery, convincing the others he can drive them there. He pretends to have passed his driving test to gain access to the car, though he actually failed. The trip serves as the setup for his later, darker schemes.

After Alessandro has left the trip, Augusto discovers a note from Alessandro warning that he will kill everyone and himself. The note confirms Alessandro’s murderous intentions and his willingness to carry them out. The moment marks a turning point toward irreversible violence.

A confrontation with another driver leads to a tense car race on the way back. Giulia cheers on the chaos, further inflaming the situation. Augusto decides to abandon the murderous plan as the family returns home unharmed.

Back at home, Augusto confronts Alessandro and slaps him for the earlier threat. The domestic scene heightens the volatile power struggle within the family. The moment underscores the fragility of the fragile equilibrium.

In a later drive, Alessandro takes his mother to an overlook and pushes her off the cliff to her death. The act completes his attempt to eliminate the matriarch and secure control over the family. This crime catalyzes the unraveling of everyone.

During the wake, Alessandro confesses his crime to Giulia, but she does not reveal it to others. Her silence deepens the tragedy and keeps the family's crimes from early exposure. The confession ties Giulia more closely to Alessandro, whether by complicity or fear.

After the funeral, Alessandro gives Leone an overdose of his medication and drowns him in the bathtub. The killing demonstrates Alessandro’s escalating willingness to kill his kin to achieve power. The act further destabilizes the family’s already fractured dynamics.

Giulia realizes that Alessandro murdered Leone, and in a state of shock she falls down the stairs, leaving her bed-ridden. The hit to her body compounds her mental distress. The household spirals deeper into tragedy as she remains incapacitated.

Alessandro attempts to suffocate Giulia with a pillow but is unable to. He then falls into another epileptic fit and dies, witnessed by Giulia who does not intervene. The family’s tragedy ends with Alessandro’s death and Giulia’s silent witnessing.