Life Is Beautiful

Guido Orefice arrives to work in a hotel restaurant in Arezzo, Tuscany, accompanied by his uncle Eliseo. He is described as comical and sharp, and he quickly falls for the gentile Dora. This encounter sets up the playful tone that will drive the early romance.

Later, Guido sees Dora again in the city, where she works as a teacher. He learns that she is set to be engaged to Rodolfo, a rich local official. This revelation sparks his determination to win her despite the odds.

To show his interest, Guido arranges a series of playful 'coincidences' around the city. These stunts are designed to capture Dora's attention and test her feelings. Their lighthearted game of chance solidifies his pursuit.

Dora remains engaged to Rodolfo, but Guido makes a daring move at the engagement party. He steals Dora away on Uncle Eliseo's horse, humiliating Dora's fiancé and her mother. The stunt marks Guido's complete commitment to winning Dora.

Guido and Dora marry and welcome their son, Giosuè. They run a bookstore together, building a life before the war intrudes.

Dora's mother visits once, meeting her grandson, Giosuè. The visit underscores the family's fragile harmony before the war closes in.

In 1944, Nazi Germany occupies Northern Italy, changing life for Guido's family. The occupation heightens fear and sets the stage for the family's arrest.

On Giosuè's birthday, Guido, Eliseo, and Giosuè are arrested and forced onto a train bound for a concentration camp. Their family is torn apart as the regime moves them toward internment.

Dora insists on boarding the train to stay with her husband and son, despite the danger. The male-female separation at the camp makes her choice deeply personal and brave.

Upon arrival, Eliseo is murdered in a gas chamber. Giosuè narrowly avoids being gassed because he hates baths and does not follow the others.

Guido keeps Giosuè's spirits alive by turning the camp into a game whose prize is a tank. He carries out bold stunts, including hijacking the camp loudspeaker to send messages and manipulating feeding through a German nanny. When Giosuè nearly reveals their secret by saying 'thank you' in Italian, Guido saves him by teaching all the German children to say 'thank you' in Italian.

As the camp's shutdown begins and Allied forces close in, Guido tells Giosuè to stay hidden until everyone has left, fulfilling the final task. He is captured by a German soldier and executed; on the way to his death, he passes Giosuè and winks, still in character and in the game.

The camp is liberated the next morning by a U.S. Army unit led by a Sherman tank. Giosuè emerges from hiding and reunites with Dora, who spots him in the celebratory procession.

The movie's narrator is revealed to be adult Giosuè, recounting his father's sacrifices. The memory closes on Guido's devotion and the quiet, hopeful victory he achieved through love.