La Boccia Film, a washed-out film production company is almost bankrupt, but Fabio wants to make a film at any cost, even with only one reel of film in the place. Massimo, a fan of the realistic film, becomes involved with the project. He suggests shooting the story of one man on one day: man wakes up, goes into the street and meets people. Eugenio, who is mad about American films, wants to give the story a more spectacular turn: it has to start with a girl undressing. The unemployed operator Vincenzo and sound man Toni then become involved in this unlikely enterprise. They make a one-take film of one minute, that ends up as a short film in the specialist festival circuit. Boccia Film even wins a prize for it: four cans of film. But even that is not enough to make a feature. The producer who presents himself turns out to be a bummer. All that is left is to put everything at stake, to turn all their possessions into money to develop a screenplay for which the producers will stand in line. Torn between doubt and enthusiasm, Eugenio, Massimo and Fabio at last find the real basis for their story in an anonymous police cell. Is it chance that the names of the people in the film correspond with the makers? Were they not previously represented at the film festival of Locarno with their short film Il Caricatore?
