Also known as The Commander and the Stork, Garibaldi's Lovers is a contemporary love story told with magical realism and comedy against the backdrop of an increasingly materialism-driven and morally crumbling Italy. Widowed, working-class Leo is grappling with the trials of raising two teenaged children, whose actions he does not always understand, while also entertaining visions of his late, eccentric wife, who has limited sympathy for his hardships. Into his unconventional life comes destitute artist Diana, who is dodging demands for rent payment from her landlord; circumstances bring the two of them together at the office of a ridiculous and arrogant lawyer. The story unfolds beneath the gazes of the statue of Commander Giuseppe Garibaldi, with his running commentary of disapproval at the state of the nation, and the watchful stork who represents the chance for a new beginning. The film is populated with the absurd yet at the same time quietly tender and hopeful.