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The struggle to unify Italy in the 19th Century provides the background for this historical epic from director and co-screenwriter Mario Martone. Angelo (Andrea Bosca), Domenico (Edoardo Natoli), and Salvatore (Luigi Pisani) are three close friends who are tired of the internecine strife between the various regional and political factions in the country. The young men become followers of the idealistic Giuseppe Mazzini (Toni Servillo), who advocates transforming Italy into a single, unified republic, and during a sojourn in Paris, they become part of the circle of the outspoken Princess Cristina di Belgiojoso (Francesca Inaudi). However, when hot-blooded Angelo questions Salvatore's sincerity, it leads to a confrontation that ends in Salvatore's death. Years later, Angelo (now played by Valerio Binasco) and Domenico (now played by Luigi Lo Cascio) have watched Mazzini's republic rise and fall, and they find themselves at odds regarding the future of the land they love. Noi Credevamo (aka We Believed) was an official selection at the 2010 Venice Film Festival.