From veteran director Marco Bellocchio comes the intriguing secret history of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s reputed first wife Ida, who bore him a son when he was still a rabble-rousing trade union leader and journalist.

Mussolini then severed all contact with the pair, leaving Ida to be sent to the madhouse where she continues to proclaim to anyone who will listen who she really is, as her former lover’s star continues to grow and her son is taken away from her. Ida’s despair is contrasted with Mussolini’s rise to power and we see black ane white news footage of Il Duce and the adoring Italian people.

Vincere has an operatic feel to it, with a brilliant orchestral score and theatrical set pieces. Images and slogans flash up onto the screen as old news reels play on. The mood is one of almost constant foreboding, with dark austere rooms, claps of thunder, and straightjacketed mental patients disciplined by matriarchial nuns.

Giovanna Mezzogiomo’s Ida is a harrowing study of despair as she changes from a vivacious and passionate young woman into a shadow of her former self, the pain and anguish etched on her face.

Filippo’s Mussolini has a constant scowl on his face and anger in his belly. But he steals every scene. It is a big shame, however, that he only appears in the first half of the film.

Catch Vincere while you can at the Watershed (more details here) because it is only being shown until tomorrow.