The First Beautiful Thing

You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family. Anna Nigiotti is a mother of two and possesses stunning beauty. In 1971, she comes in first at a local beauty pageant but as a result draws unwanted attention, faces the wrath of her jealous husband and embarrasses her son Bruno. Moving ahead to modern day, Bruno is a dedicated schoolteacher with some rather bad habits. He has escaped his hometown and the influence of his energetic mother, but consequently finds himself distanced from other people. At the behest of his sister Valerie, Bruno reluctantly returns home to be by his mother's side as she is dying of cancer. Defying the diagnosis, Anna remains full of life, in stark contrast to her healthy son. In her presence a number of memories begin to bubble up for Bruno as he comes to terms with his long forgotten past.