Character Relationship Map: La Grazia

Characters

• Mariano De Santis (played by Toni Servillo) — protagonist

  An elderly President of the Republic nearing the end of his term. He reviews an euthanasia bill, proposes amendments requiring a clear definition of agony and written medical advice with a second opin...

• Dorotea De Santis (played by Anna Ferzetti) — protagonist

  Mariano's daughter, who helps him review the euthanasia bill. She disagrees with his repeated postponement of difficult decisions and plans to leave for Montreal to visit a family member.

• Ugo Romani (played by Massimo Venturiello) — supporting

  A political figure described as hoping to become the next president.

• Coco Valori (played by Milvia Marigliano) — supporting

  A person close enough to Mariano to discuss his political situation and personal past. She tells him that Ugo Romani hopes to become the next president and ultimately confesses that she was the person...

• Riccardo De Santis (played by Francesco Martino) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Mariano De Santis → Riccardo De Santis (Family Connection) — The plot places Riccardo within the De Santis family context, although their exact relationship is not specified.

  Dorotea plans to leave for Montreal to visit Riccardo De Santis, who shares the De Santis family name with Mariano and Dorotea.

• Mariano De Santis → Coco Valori (Professional Political Associate) — Coco serves as a trusted political contact who delivers decisive information to Mariano.

  Coco Valori tells Mariano about Ugo Romani's presidential ambitions and answers his question about the betrayal.

• Mariano De Santis → Ugo Romani (Power Political Successor) — Ugo is positioned as an aspiring successor to Mariano's presidency.

  Coco Valori tells Mariano that Ugo Romani hopes to become the next president as Mariano's term approaches its conclusion.

• Mariano De Santis → Dorotea De Santis (Family Father) — Mariano is Dorotea's father, and their family bond is intertwined with political disagreement.

  Dorotea De Santis is identified as Mariano De Santis's daughter and helps him review the euthanasia bill.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Coco Valori → Ugo Romani (Narrative Political Informant) — Coco is the source of information about Ugo's succession hopes.

  Coco tells Mariano that Ugo Romani hopes to become the next president, providing information about Ugo's political ambition.

Story Analysis

An aging president confronts political transition, moral uncertainty, and the betrayal that has defined his private life.

Plot Progression

1. A President At The Threshold — Mariano De Santis approaches the end of his presidential term while performing constitutional duties. His review of the euthanasia bill exposes a conflict between legal precision and personal hesitati...
2. Family And Difficult Decisions — Dorotea assists Mariano with the bill but challenges his habit of postponing difficult choices. Her planned trip to Montreal emphasizes the approaching changes in the De Santis family.
3. The Weight Of Memory — Mariano's memories return to an old betrayal and an unresolved loss. The suffering horse mirrors his uncertainty about preserving life, ending pain, and extending suffering.
4. The Last Public Decisions — Mariano continues weighing a criminal case and reflecting on the meaning of life. At a public appearance, his intervention is praised while succession questions enter the foreground.
5. The Betrayal Revealed — Coco first identifies Ugo as a presidential hopeful and then corrects Mariano's belief about the old betrayal. Her confession makes Coco the source of Mariano's lifelong grief.