At the dawn of the new millennium, two distant destinies collide on a still-unspoiled stretch of coastline in southern Sardinia.
Efisio Mulas is a solitary shepherd, the silent guardian of a time that seems no longer to exist. He has lived there all his life, between the sea and his animals, in the small house where he was born. On the other side is Giacomo, president of a powerful real-estate group, the symbol of an Italy rushing toward the future. He is determined to transform that coast into a luxury resort. At his side is Mariano, the site manager and a practical man, tasked with convincing Efisio to give up that last strip of land. Between these irreconcilable worlds moves Francesca, Efisio’s daughter, torn between the siren call of change and her bond to her homeland.
When Efisio turns down yet another million-euro offer, the negotiation becomes a legal battle, and Giovanna enters the scene—a judge born and raised in those very places, called upon to resolve the conflict.
As pressure mounts and the community splits between those who dream of new job opportunities and those who fear losing their identity forever, Efisio’s unyielding “no” takes on a collective meaning. Strengthened by the value of his choices and the memory of those who came before him, Efisio knows that sometimes, precisely because “that’s how life goes,” one must stop and decide for oneself where to go.
DIRECTOR’S NOTES:
La vita va così is not only the story of a man who had the courage to say no. It is also the tale, based on a real-life case, of a community in our country forced to choose between respecting the land and giving people employment. It is in stories like this that I seek out the humanity that is hidden in each of us, still.
Virginia, Diego, Aldo, and Geppi, were at my side throughout the project. And we all walked alongside the lead actor, Ignazio Loi, an eighty-four-year-old Sardinian as guileless as a child and as wise as the shepherd he was, for seventy years. I owe everything to all the splendid Sardinian actors, and all the non-actors, who joined me to tell the story that is their own. And it isn’t only about a courageous decision. A courageous voice rings out and says that money can’t buy everything. Which is why the film is dedicated to one of the life lesson teachers whom I had the good fortune to meet: Gigi Riva.
Festival & awards
Festa del Cinema di Roma 2025: Grand Public – Film di apertura
Festival del Cinema Italiano di Ajaccio 2025: En Compétition – Prix Serge Leca
Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt 2025: Hors-compétition
Mostra de Cinema Italià de Barcelona 2025