Giorni della Merla - Days of the Blackbird

Once upon a time, not so long ago, upon the days of the blackbird that are known as the coldest days of the year, the paths of two young men cross – one a traveling business man, the other a lonesome hotelier who lives in his own mysterious world. Both grew up without the guidance of a father, beyond this they have nothing in common, or so it seems... But when they stumble upon an old postcard, trouble arises, as their past plays a trick on their future.

Giorni della Merla is the debut feature film of Diego Brentano & Niklas Leifert, two young actors, who have assembled an ambitious team to bring this low-budget German/Swiss co-production to life.

Clemens, an impatient business man, returns from a bad trip to Finland and is on his way to Italy with his girlfriend Gina. Their goal: to make Gina’s dream of opening her own fashion boutique come true. On a stopover in Hamburg Clemens meets up with Edoardo, an old friend of his mother's. Much to Gina’s dismay, Clemens is mesmerized by Edoardo’s charming daughter Francesca. As they continue their road trip through Europe, disharmony sets in. And Gina has yet to discover that there is something fishy about his trunk...

A lonesome hotelier leads an unhurried, yet mysterious life in a small village close to the Swiss-Italian border. His leisurely routine gets interrupted when he suddenly receives his first guests. One of the two can't talk. Instead he expresses himself through the language of music and the art of cooking. The other one can't see. Still, she enchants the hotelier with her looks. But why does he try to pull the wool over her eyes at their gourmet dinner?

Diego Brentano & Niklas Leifert tell the stories of two very different young men whose worlds collide. At once, an old postcard appears and forces them to confront their past. A scratchy old vinyl record suddenly sounds as good as new and the two protagonists discover that their fatherless journey through life does not seem to be over yet. Just as the legend of the Giorni della Merla proclaims: The colder the days of the blackbird, the warmer the coming spring will be.