Interviewed by a Japanese television crew for a report on his latest film, Federico Fellini takes the audience on an intriguing journey behind the scenes at Cinecittà. As the crew prepares for a nighttime scene that Fellini describes as “the prisoner’s dream” — a moment where his hands seek a way out of a dark tunnel — he reflects on the challenges of his advancing age and weight, realizing that escaping simply by “flying away” is becoming increasingly tough. However, once he breaks free, he gazes down at Cinecittà from a remarkable height.
The following morning, Fellini joins the Japanese crew for a quick tour of the studios, where they encounter a series of outrageous television commercials in the making. During this tour, Fellini’s casting director presents him with four young actors intended to play the part of Karl Rossmann, the lead in his cinematic interpretation of Kafka's Amerika. Fellini introduces the audience to the charming female custodian of Cinecittà, Nadia Ottaviani, who cleverly manages to evade the interview by retreating into the desolate backlot of Studio 5 to gather dandelions for herbal tea.
Meanwhile, Fellini’s assistant director, Maurizio Mein, is on site at the Casa del Passeggero, a formerly inexpensive hotel that has now transformed into a drugstore. Fellini desires to include this location in his film, as it recalls his first visit to Cinecittà as a journalist back in 1938, during the Fascist regime. As the past and present intertwine, Fellini interacts with his younger self, portrayed by Sergio Rubini. After the crew reconstructs the façade of the Casa del Passeggero at a different location in Rome, a fake tramway transports the young Fellini/Rubini from the American Wild West, populated by Indian warriors, to a stunning cliff overlooking a herd of wild elephants off the coast of Ethiopia. Upon arriving at Cinecittà, he embarks on an interview with the matinee idol, Katya — a character that pays homage to actress Greta Gonda, with whom he conducted his very first interview.
As the narrative unfolds, the boundaries between reality and filmmaking blur, plunging viewers into the chaotic world of two feature films run by domineering directors. However, this feeling is ephemeral; for the remainder of the film, Fellini and Maurizio Mein work tirelessly to assemble the perfect cast and set for the fictional adaptation of Amerika. This setup enables Fellini/Rubini to traverse time, experiencing the filmmaking process firsthand — from disgruntled actors who fell short in auditions, including Marcello Mastroianni in a TV commercial as Mandrake the Magician, to unsettling incidents like a bomb threat, and even a visit to Anita Ekberg’s home where she and Mastroianni reenact scenes from La Dolce Vita. The narrative culminates in bizarre screen tests featuring Kafka's Brunelda, who finds herself in a bathtub surrounded by two young men. Just as chaos seems to ensue, a troublesome thunderstorm threatens the production of Amerika, culminating in a peculiar attack by faux Indians wielding television antennas like spears.
As the film wraps up back inside Studio 5 at Cinecittà, Fellini’s voice resonates with a melancholic reflection: > “So the movie should end here. Actually, it’s finished.” In a tongue-in-cheek response to dissatisfied producers regarding his somber conclusions, the Maestro illuminates their world with the hopeful glow of an arc lamp, presenting them with a soaring ray of sunshine.
