The Return of the Prodigal Son (2003)
In Italy, immediately subsequent to the war, a group of people who lost all they possessed during the conflict, settle in a village in ruins. They intend to restore the city from the rubble and re-start life, in imitation of the women of Messina who rebuilt their city, destroyed as it was by an earthquake. Oscillating between respect and suspicion, co-existence between group members is tense. Things become complicated when an envoy from the government arrives to say that nothing there belongs to them. The film is a free adaptation of fragments of the novella ‘The Women of Messina’, by Sicilian writer Elio Vittorini.
Directors: Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet.
![]() |
Martina Gionfriddo as |
![]() |
Andrea Balducci as |
![]() |
Gabriella Taddei as |
![]() |
Vittorio Vigneri as |
![]() |
Aldo Fruttuosi as |
| Directing | Jean-Marie Straub | Director |
| Directing | Danièle Huillet | Director |
| Directing | Maurizio Buquicchio | Assistant Director |
| Writing | Elio Vittorini | Novel |
| Editing | Jean-Marie Straub | Editor |
| Writing | Jean-Marie Straub | Writer |
| Editing | Danièle Huillet | Editor |
| Writing | Danièle Huillet | Writer |
| Crew | Marion Befve | Cinematography |
| Crew | Renato Berta | Cinematography |
| Crew | Jean-Paul Toraille | Cinematography |
| Production | Werner Dütsch | Producer |
| Production | Martine Marignac | Producer |