Vincere is a 2009 Italian film directed by Marco Bellocchio, which tells the story of Ida Dalser, a woman who fell in love with the young Benito Mussolini in the early 20th century. As a young Socialist journalist, Mussolini is shown as a charismatic figure who inspires his followers to fight for social justice. Ida becomes one of his most ardent supporters and helps him to establish the Italian Socialist Party.
However, Mussolini's political ambitions soon change his character, and he becomes more authoritarian and ruthless. As he rises to power as the leader of the Fascist Party, he abandons Ida and their son, declaring their marriage invalid and forcing her into asylums to silence her claims of being his wife.
The film portrays Ida's descent into madness as she struggles to cope with the betrayal and rejection she experiences at the hands of her former lover. It also examines the cult of personality that Mussolini created around himself and his ability to manipulate public opinion through propaganda.
The film features powerful performances by Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida and Filippo Timi as Mussolini, and its visual style is evocative of the Italian cinema of the 1960s, with its use of archive footage and dramatic close-ups.
