The heat is stifling. The place is choked by Depression-era poverty. Women cry over starving children.
People steal potatoes.
One man's wife commits suicide. All sweetness and sighs, he knows he is dying of heart failure. The movie, written by Joseph Stefano and directed by James Foley, concerns the boy's adventures that day. In between these interminable scenes, he sits enthralled by Pacino's gentle banter. Maybe it tries too hard.