Set in 1913, Emanuele Crialese’s Nuovomondo (2006) talks the story of Salvatore, a poor Sicilian widower who aspires to live in America, and thus, travels across oceans with his family. The center of the film focuses on the journey itself and the following, lengthy administrative procedures at Ellis Island. The opening scene has a strong flavor of Italian country movies, although in a melancholy tone. The plight of misery of the family, from poor rural life to the “claustrophobic” atmosphere on the ship to the insulting “rite of passage” at Ellis Island, never comes to an end. Their fantasies about America do not derive from fairly reliable information but from exaggerated recreation on postcards. For them, America dream is more like a phantom
