Fine pena mai

Fine pena mai is set in the Porto Azurro prison on the Italian island of Elba. It is Christmas time, the prisoners cook and eat together, they play chess and muse on the life outside the prison walls. The central characters in the film are some inmates who have been sentenced to life imprisonment. It is through them that we find out how bizarre life is when you know that you will never be free again. The concept of time loses its meaning, a future only exists in their dreams. In 1986 important reforms were implemented in all Italian prisons. One of the most striking changes was that the prisoners were given a few days' leave now and then. After a short period of relative freedom, to come back between the four walls of a cell is extra hard, because for most of them their sentence remains fully effective. This is what the title of the film refers to. 'Fine pena mai' means: end of sentence: never.