Waltzing its way through the Sardinian landscape, Three Step Dance is the latest example of Italy's recent love affair with regional cinema. Salvatore Mereu constructs a tone poem in four parts, arranged according to seasons. The themes examined-isolation, communication, and the clash between tradition and modernity-are played out in a Sardinia whose interior is barely touched by the encroaching fingers of globalization. In “Spring,” a group of small boys is taken from the rugged heartland of the island to the sea for the first time. “Summer” concentrates on an isolated, naive shepherd whose lonely work in the mountains is occasionally enlivened by a very modern French restaurateur whose business caters to the international young and well-heeled. “Autumn” continues the theme of dissociation, with a nun getting leave from the convent to attend her sister's village wedding. The village becomes the link to “Winter,” in which an elderly man, back in the city after attending the aforementioned wedding, silently contrasts life between town and country. With a talented eye for beautiful compositions and an unpatronizing feel for his peasant characters, director Mereu shows much promise here, with his efforts winning the film a special mention for a first film at Venice.