AllMovie

A robbery goes awry and results in a hostage situation in this tense Italian drama set during a long afternoon in a Rome suburb. It begins when two inept robbers botch a heist at a tobacco store. One of them is shot by the owner and captured. The other, Claudio, runs into a nearby apartment and ends up taking its resident, the wheelchair bound Esther, hostage. Claudio is a human warhead ready to detonate and Esther is rightly terrified, especially when the local police surround the building and begin their waiting game. In time, the police begin making their move, accusing Claudio of raping his hostage. This only makes him more unpredictable and confused about what he should do. It is Esther, who has spent her life feeling sorry for herself and watching TV, who provides the solution. At her suggestion Claudio demands that he be given an interview with the host of the popular show "Where the News Is Born", in which real problems are resolved on the air. He is interviewed and promised a light sentence in exchange for giving himself up in front of the cameras that night. The day drags on while they wait. Soon Esther and Claudio begin developing a strange bond.