In his early features, The Fiancés and Il Posto, Ermanno Olmi proved himself to be one of the most original talents of the sixties. His style is related to neorealism in quiet tales of desperation built of lyrical observation and gently cynical humor. "Challenging the viewer to see old things in new ways through 'a celebration of the commonplace' (The Fiancés is) a brilliant example of Olmi's rebellion against the grandiose, bloated spectacle in films." (Janus) Giovanni, a laborer in a large industrial firm, accepts a transfer to Sicily with the hope of gaining a better position. To do so means leaving behind his fiancée of many years, Liliana. Their relationship has become routine, immobilized by the long engagement, and the separation appears definitive. But the bitter alienation Giovanni experiences in Sicily prompts a postcard to Liliana, and then another. Liliana, excruciatingly inarticulate, also finds expression in the written word. This love story prompted critic Stanley Kauffman to remark, "Olmi moves through film like a bird through the air."