Gigi la Legge

A sun-soaked portrait of local police officer Gigi, on his routine patrols in a small rural community in Italy where nothing much ever happens. But now there’s a macabre case to solve, because for the second time in a short period, someone has jumped in front of a train. Gigi—the filmmaker’s uncle—starts investigating.

It’s hard to reconcile the distressing suicides with this charming, flower-filled region of northern Italy, filmed in enchanting, vivid color. The camera follows Uncle Gigi as he drives around in the police car, chatting with various colleagues about local suspects, or about love—a subject that inspires them to burst into song on occasion.

Gigi, utterly contented with his lot, cruises past the wide expanse of fields, sunglasses on, his arm hanging loosely from the open window as he flirts with Paola, the new radio dispatcher—perhaps daydreaming of the secluded jungle of acacia trees in his back garden. Gigi’s neighbor is, unfortunately, less happy about this sprawling forest. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Locarno.