Liquirizia

In Padua, 1959, Fulvio and Carletto are in their final year of school. Fulvio comes from a working-class family and pursues the latest trends—sports, cars, rock music, and women—while Carletto, from a wealthy bourgeois background, dreams of moving to Rome to become a theatrical director.

Fulvio's father tries to steer him toward socialism, but Fulvio resists, choosing his own interests instead. The two friends embody contrasting worlds, setting up the tension between duty and personal ambition that drives the story.

Carletto is enrolled in a classical high school and harbors dreams of Rome as a theater director. His refined, bourgeois world stands in contrast to Fulvio's practical concerns, highlighting their diverging paths.

They decide to organize an end-of-year celebration that brings together high school and accounting students to raise money and have fun. Carletto is tasked with directing the show, while Fulvio travels to Milan to persuade a singer to participate.

Fulvio travels to Milan to persuade singer Adriano Celentano to join the event. He fails to meet Celentano and instead encounters a boastful rock singer named Flynt, whom he invites to perform at the show.

Carletto convinces Mrs. Raffaella, the mother of a younger student, to lend them a family-owned theater free of charge. The theater is run by a Neapolitan caretaker who idolizes Eduardo De Filippo and keeps a close eye on the students.

The high schoolers rehearse diverse acts—ballet, opera, and Shakespeare—while the accounting students mount rock numbers and variety acts. Among the students are Gian Galeazzo Lo Cascio, a naïve wealthy heir engaged to Marina; Giulia, who fancies Carletto; Baffi, friendly and playful; and Bartolozzi, the redheaded daughter of a wealthy shoemaker who is infatuated with Fulvio.

Raffaella develops feelings for Carletto and helps him believe in himself. She encourages him to stay focused and keep the show on track despite the mounting difficulties.

On the day of the performance, the dance and acting acts are booed by the audience, undermining the show. Flynt's appearance proves a failure and he is kicked out, signaling the unraveling of the plan.

A group of former students led by Tonazzi, known as Be-Bop-A-Lula, storms onto the stage and takes control, turning the night into a chaotic brawl. The event devolves into violence as the planned celebration collapses.

Carletto realizes he has failed and confronts the consequences of the aborted show. He asks Raffaella to go to Rome with him, but she politely declines.

After the summer vacation, Carletto visits Fulvio at Bartolozzi's shop, where Fulvio now works. Carletto hints that he has given in to the girl's advances, while Bartolozzi smiles, chewing a licorice stick.