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The Man Who Will Come (2009) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Man Who Will Come (2009) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2009 · 115 mins · Italian
Directed by
Giorgio Diritti
Starring
Maya Sansa, Alba Rohrwacher, Laura Pizzirani, Orfeo Orlando, Diego Pagotto, Timo Jacobs

In 1943, amid the chaos of war, a tight‑knit Italian village faces scarcity and danger. Its inhabitants must decide how far to aid the local partisans while anticipating the imminent arrival of German forces. Their struggle for survival and moral choices reflect a true‑story backdrop of resistance and fear.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Characters explained (3)
  2. 2 Where & when it takes place
  3. 3 Themes & meaning (3)
  4. 4 Character & meaning questions
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like The Man Who Will Come
  7. 7 Every angle

3 main characters · contains spoilers

The Man Who Will Come Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Man Who Will Come (2009), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Martina (Greta Zuccheri Montanari)

    Eight-year-old Martina was silent after the death of her younger brother, yet her observations are sharp and perceptive. Through the war's upheavals she navigates fear and isolation, and her voice gradually returns through care, song, and resilience.

    • 🧒 Child
    • 🕊️ Trauma
    • 🌊 Resilience
  • Lena (Maya Sansa)

    Martina's mother, pregnant during the upheaval, tends to her family with quiet strength. She balances the demands of daily life with the looming fear of war, and her care anchors Martina's fragile world.

    • 👩 Mother
    • 🤰 Pregnancy
    • 🏠 Family
  • Partigiano Gianni (Bernardo Bolognesi)

    A partisan fighter who moves through the hills, representing resistance and the complexities of wartime morality. His presence underscores the tension between armed resistance and civilian vulnerability in the mountains.

    • 🪖 Partisan
    • 🗺️ Resistance
    • 🛡️ Courage

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:22

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Setting

Where and When Does The Man Who Will Come Take Place?

The setting of The Man Who Will Come (2009): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Winter 1943-1944

The story unfolds during a harsh wartime winter in the Apennines as World War II intensifies. German soldiers and partisan activity intrude on daily life, shaping routines around chores, pregnancies, and community rituals. The period culminates in the Marzabotto massacre, marking a brutal turning point in the family's story.

Location

Apennines, Cerpiano, Marzabotto, Italy

The setting is the Apennine mountains in central Italy, where a remote peasant family struggles to survive through winter. The villages and landscape around Cerpiano become backdrops for daily chores, births, and the looming threat of war. The stark, snowbound terrain amplifies isolation, resilience, and the fragility of life during wartime.

  • 🏔️ Apennines
  • ⚔️ War-torn countryside
  • 🏡 Rural Italy

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:22

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3 major themes

The Man Who Will Come Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Man Who Will Come (2009) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Trauma

    Martina's muteness after her brother's death frames her as an observer whose inner life remains rich yet unspoken. The war's violence intertwines with family grief, shaping how memory endures. The film uses quiet moments and Martina's perspective to show how trauma can lie beneath the surface and reappear through small acts of resilience.

  • Family

    The family anchors the narrative, illustrating daily life in a peasant household under constant strain. Pregnancy, chores, and small pleasures ground the characters amid danger, while love and solidarity sustain hope. The mother's protection of her unborn child and Martina's care for her sibling highlight resilience through familial bonds.

  • War and Resilience

    The encroaching war arrives with German soldiers and partisan groups, upending ordinary life. The Marzabotto massacre cuts a brutal swath through the hills, forcing the family to endure fear and loss. Martina's escape and return home, accompanied by a lullaby, become acts of defiance that reaffirm humanity amid brutality.

Last updated: February 17, 2026 at 17:22

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Character & theme questions

The Man Who Will Come Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Man Who Will Come (2009): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

The movie is set in the Apennine mountains of central Italy, primarily in the remote village of Cerpiano and surrounding areas near Marzabotto. The stark, snowbound terrain creates an atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability that amplifies the fragility of life during wartime.

  • apennines
  • cerpiano
  • italy
  • setting
  • village
  • mountains
Q2

When does the story take place?

The story unfolds during the winter of 1943-1944 in the Italian Apennines, a period when World War II intensifies across Europe. This timing places the narrative during the German occupation of Italy and the height of partisan resistance activity in the region.

  • 1943
  • 1944
  • winter
  • world war 2
  • italy
  • time period
  • historical
Q3

What is the Marzabotto massacre?

The Marzabotto massacre was a brutal Nazi war crime committed in September 1944 in the mountains south of Bologna. While the movie is set in winter 1943-1944, it builds toward this historical event, which saw hundreds of civilians killed by German troops. The film uses this tragedy as the brutal turning point that defines the family's story.

  • marzabotto
  • massacre
  • german
  • war crime
  • historical
  • occupation
Q4

How does trauma affect Martina?

Martina becomes mute after the death of her younger brother, and her silence frames her as an observer whose inner life remains rich yet unspoken. The film uses her perspective to show how war trauma can lie beneath the surface and reappear through small acts of resilience. Her gradual return of voice through care and lullaby becomes a powerful symbol of healing.

  • martina
  • trauma
  • muteness
  • grief
  • psychological
  • recovery
  • healing
Q5

What role does family play in the movie?

The family anchors the narrative as a peasant household under constant strain from war. Daily life continues through pregnancy, chores, and small pleasures, grounding the characters in humanity amid danger. The mother's protection of her unborn child and Martina's care for her sibling highlight how familial bonds sustain hope and resilience.

  • family
  • mother
  • daughter
  • bonds
  • resilience
  • peasant
  • household
Q6

Who is Martina and what is her significance?

Martina is an eight-year-old girl who goes silent after her brother's death, becoming the film's emotional center and primary observer. Through her eyes, viewers experience the war's upheavals. Her journey from mute trauma to recovering her voice through love, song, and resilience represents the film's thematic core of survival and human endurance.

  • martina
  • protagonist
  • child
  • survivor
  • perspective
  • greta zuccheri montanari
Q7

Who is Lena and what is her role?

Lena is Martina's mother, portrayed by Maya Sansa. She is pregnant throughout the film and tends to her family with quiet strength, balancing the demands of daily peasant life with the looming fear of war. Her care and protection anchor Martina's fragile world, representing maternal resilience amid conflict.

  • lena
  • mother
  • maya sansa
  • parental
  • protection
  • family
Q8

Who is Partigiano Gianni?

Partigiano Gianni is a partisan fighter represented by Bernardo Bolognesi, who moves through the hills resisting German occupation. He embodies the tension between armed resistance and civilian vulnerability in the mountains, representing the complexities of wartime morality and the risks faced by those who chose to fight.

  • gianni
  • partisan
  • resistance
  • fighter
  • bernardo bolognesi
  • freedom fighter
Q9

What does the war and resilience theme explore?

The theme explores how war arrives with German soldiers and partisan groups, upending ordinary life in the hills. Martina's escape and return home, accompanied by a lullaby, become acts of defiance that reaffirm humanity amid brutality. The theme illustrates how ordinary people find strength to survive and resist in extreme circumstances.

  • war
  • resilience
  • resistance
  • survival
  • german
  • occupation
  • partisans
Q10

How does the mountain setting influence the story?

The Apennine mountain setting creates an isolated, snowbound world that amplifies both the family's vulnerability and their resilience. The harsh winter environment forces characters into close proximity, making daily survival a constant struggle while also highlighting the contrast between peaceful peasant life and the violence of war arriving from outside.

  • mountains
  • apennines
  • isolation
  • winter
  • environment
  • survival
  • nature
Q11

Is the movie based on a true story?

Yes, the movie is based on true events. The story draws from the historical backdrop of the Marzabotto massacre and the real experiences of Italian civilians and partisans during the Nazi occupation. The film's emotional core reflects actual stories of families who lived through this devastating period of World War II.

  • true story
  • historical
  • based on
  • real events
  • marzabotto
  • ww2
  • italy

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Man Who Will Come, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Man Who Will Come tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies like The Man Who Will Come: A Child's View of War

Stories of innocence confronting the brutal realities of historical tragedy. If you were moved by the perspective in The Man Who Will Come, this list features similar movies about children navigating the horrors of war. These films share a focus on innocence lost and survival amidst historical tragedy.

  • somber
  • harrowing
  • grieving
  • oppressive
  • tense
  • innocence lost
  • Tone: dark, somber, harrowing
  • Pacing: steady, observational
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically follow a young protagonist whose life is upended by a historical conflict. The plot unfolds as they observe, endure, and attempt to make sense of the violence and moral collapse around them, often resulting in a deeply personal and traumatic coming-of-age journey.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here because they share the powerful narrative device of a child's perspective, which amplifies the emotional weight and senselessness of war. They combine a straightforward, observational storytelling style with intensely dark themes and a somber, oppressive mood.

Slow-Burn Thrillers about a Village Under Siege like The Man Who Will Come

Tense dramas where a close-knit community faces an imminent, existential threat. Fans of The Man Who Will Come will appreciate these other movies about tight-knit communities facing an impending threat. This list features tense, character-driven stories where the setting itself becomes a character under pressure.

  • tense
  • oppressive
  • slow-burn
  • community
  • survival
  • imminent threat
  • Tone: tense, dark, oppressive
  • Pacing: steady, slow-burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a gradual escalation of tension within a confined setting. The story examines how group dynamics, loyalty, and morality are tested under extreme pressure, leading to a climactic confrontation with the external threat that forever changes the community.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their shared focus on community, deliberate pacing that builds palpable dread, and a dark, tense atmosphere. They explore themes of collective survival, resistance, and the moral cost of protecting one's home.

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Movies Like The Man Who Will Come

Similar movies to The Man Who Will Come: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Every angle

The Man Who Will Come (2009) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Man Who Will Come in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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