Grande Raccordo Anulare |
The film's subject, the GRA, an acronym for Grande Raccordo Anulare, is a 42-mile stretch of highway that surrounds Rome. It's an imperfect circle with dozens of tunnels and exits, which serve the communities, neighborhoods and countryside surrounding the Eternal City. It's somewhat of a meeting point that brings together the inner and outer parts of the city. Construction of the GRA began in 1948 with sections that opened every couple years until its completion in 1979. Since then, the road has been under construction a number of times to add more lanes and more accessibility. Regardless of the intentions for this highway to make commuting easier, it has instead been a constant headache for locals.
The documentary focuses on several people whose lives are affected by the roadway. Among the protagonists are a young paramedic who we often watch rushing to the scene of an accident, an elderly man who lives in a single room with his daughter, a family trying to deal with their son's DJ obsession, a botanist who studies palms inflicted with killer parasites, a disgruntled fisherman and an aristocrat who rents his mansion to film crews. Although none of the protagonists in the film know each other, their one common denominator is the GRA.
The documentary focuses on several people whose lives are affected by the roadway. Among the protagonists are a young paramedic who we often watch rushing to the scene of an accident, an elderly man who lives in a single room with his daughter, a family trying to deal with their son's DJ obsession, a botanist who studies palms inflicted with killer parasites, a disgruntled fisherman and an aristocrat who rents his mansion to film crews. Although none of the protagonists in the film know each other, their one common denominator is the GRA.
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