Lorenza Mazzetti's autobiographical novel is brought to the screen by the brother directorial team of Andrea Frazzi and Antonio Frazzi in this not-so-nostalgic WWII coming-of-age film. After their parents die in an automobile accident, sisters Penny (Veronica Niccolai) and Baby (Lara Campoli) are sent to live in a small Tuscan town with their proud relatives, Uncle Wilhelm (Jeroen Krabbe) and Aunt Katchen (Isabella Rossellini). It isn't long before the girls become enamored with life with their uncle in the picturesque village, and the left-leaning Wilhelm manages to purge the pro-fascist point-of-view instilled in the girls by their late parents. When the Nazis temporarily occupy the town, however, Wilhelm refuses to deny his Jewish heritage or flee to another country -- with potentially dire circumstances for the recently-extended family. Il Cielo Cade had its North American premiere at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival.