L'aquilone di Claudio

The Italian title L'aquilone di Claudio means Claudio's Kite. Claudio is the only son of Andrea, a hospital nurse and his wife Marina, who used to be a successful model and now runs a casting agency. Andrea and Claudio share a passion for elaborate kites that they fly in the park; in the first scene we see Andrea assembling one of these as a birthday present for Claudio.

One day, Claudio has an unexplained episode of dizziness. The incident occurs again and again and Claudio's mobility is affected. Andrea and Marina see doctor after doctor with elusive (or plainly erroneous) diagnoses. The infirmity progresses slowly but surely, and Claudio, now a teenager begins to find it difficult to walk and perform his everyday chores. His illness is finally identified as an irreversible form of ataxia. However, there is a glimmer of hope at the end in charge of Gloria, a schoolmate and childhood friend of Claudio.

I liked this movie. Ir shows realistically the stresses on a couple caused by a child's sickness. It is moving but not maudlin. Some episodes are in fairy tale territory (such as those involving Marta, a homeless woman and Mr. Testa, a patient of Andrea) but that only adds to the film's charm.