<The Commander and the Stork> opens with the inner monologue of a statue of the great general Garibaldi as he observes the comings and goings of the people beneath him, particularly Leo, a widowed plumber father who falls in love with a struggling artist, his son Elia who is raising a pet stork rather than attend school, and his teenage daughter who is unknowingly an internet porn star. The fourteenth feature film made by the Italian director Silvio Soldini sees him return to the sophisticated comedy with this lively and imaginative film. To Garibaldi, who unified Italy, the lives of Rome's citizens look frustrating and worrying. To the poet Giacomo Leopardi and the genius Leonardo da Vinci, of whom all Italians are proud, today's Italy appears in crisis. Fortunately, the characters of the film are not like today's common and worldly people. They seem more like fairy tale characters, far from normal and able to retain their innocence despite the chaos around them. This is a touching, unconventional film that all ages are sure to adore. (RHEE, Soue-won)