La pelle dell'orso

It is the 1950s. Pietro is a surly man in his fifties, working on a quarry in the Italian Dolomites. His abuse of wine and his coy nature have quickly made him into the butt of the town’s jokes. He is strict with his son Domenico, and ever since the death of his mother, their relationship has become increasingly tougher. One night, as he’s sitting in his usual bar swigging his wine, Pietro overhears his ruthless and haughty boss Crepaz talking about the “devil”, a bear that has for some time been threatening the village and preying on livestock, generating fear and apprehension among the population. Tired of being vilified by his peers, Pietro makes a proposition to Crepaz: he will kill the bear in exchange for 600,000 lira, but if he fails, he will have to work without pay for a whole year.