“Life goes like this”: the courageous story of the Sardinian shepherd who challenged the cement giants conquers the Rome Film Festival

It arrives in theaters on October 23rd Life goes like thisthe new film by Riccardo Milani, chosen to inaugurate the Rome Film Festival 2025. A comedy with a light tone but a profound meaning, which brings to the big screen the true story of the shepherd Ovidio Marras, symbol of a Sardinia that resists speculation and the loss of its roots.

A true story that smells of earth and dignity

The film takes inspiration from the events of the shepherd of Capo Malfatano who for over fifteen years courageously opposed the construction of a mega luxury resort on the land inherited from his family. In front of him he had construction giants, millions of euros and a promise of “progress” that would erase the memory of his land. Marras did not give in.

He defended his road, his pasture and the right to belong to his island, winning a battle that has become a symbol of civil resistance and love for nature.

A clash between two worlds

In Life goes like thisthe story translates into a bitter comedy set between the beaches of Teulada and the sea of ​​Tuerredda. At the centre, the clash between Efisio Mulas, a Sardinian shepherd played by 84-year-old Ignazio Giuseppe Loi, and Giacomo (Diego Abatantuono), a Milanese entrepreneur determined to build a resort on his land. Mediating between the two extremes is Francesca (Virginia Raffaele), the pastor’s daughter, torn between tradition and the desire for a different future. The film alternates irony and melancholy, showing an island struggling against the erasure of its origins.

A story starring Sardinia and its identity

Milani, already author of Like a cat on the ring road And Sorry if I existreturns to tell the fragility of progress and the strength of roots. With an exceptional cast – in addition to the aforementioned Virginia Raffaele and Diego Abatantuono, we have Aldo Baglio, Geppi Cucciari, Nicolò Senna and a cameo by Carlo Cracco – the film celebrates Sardinia as the absolute protagonist, more than just a setting. It is the voice of a community that does not want to be bought, that defends its identity as the last bastion of freedom.

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