Two strangers from radically different walks of life meet by chance while commuting to some destination, not realizing the serendipity of such an encounter – this is a common trope that has existed almost as long as stories have been told. There’s something so compelling about chance meetings, and whether they result in a romantic relationship or some other endeavour seemingly propelled by fate, we’re often captivated by these stories. Someone who crafted one of the definitive texts is Alessandro Blasetti, whose incredible Four Steps in the Clouds (Italian: Quattro passi fra le nuvole) is a masterpiece of carefully-constructed beauty and comedy, a stunning combination of sincere emotions and upbeat humour, all centred around the burgeoning friendship between a despondent businessman and the young woman who is in a crisis, and who he realizes he can help in a small but significant way. As charming as it is insightful into the human condition, Four Steps in the Clouds is an alluring and compelling work of socially-charged fiction, carefully constructed by a director whose forthright dedication to his stories has always been one of his hallmarks, especially in how he captures the smallest details of existence, repurposing them into the kind of upbeat but thought-provoking conversations that we rarely encounter in a world in which emotions are drive by some ulterior motive. In this film, everything is fueled by the mere desire to represent the experience of being alive in as simple but effective a way as possible – and in both form and content, this is an astonishing work, and one that is much more complex than it seems to be on the surface.

It is important to situate any film within its specific social and cultural milieu, even if we are not in any way experts on the circumstances around its creation. This lends the film some context, and gives insights into the relationship between the artist and the story they are telling. Blasetti was a significant figure in Italian cinema, pioneering a movement that predated Italian neo-realism, and working consistently between the 1920s and 1960s to craft his own fascinating vision of life in his homeland. Four Steps in the Clouds is one of his most compassionate and fully-realized efforts, and his endearing sense of humour, as well as his discerning eye for detail, makes this a very poignant but also extraordinarily funny film. Neo-realism is often conflated with downbeat stories that use misery and strife as a narrative tool – and while this is true of the most faithful adherents to the movement (which came about as a response to Italian fascism and the Second World War), it is not an exclusive trait. As this film proves, it is more than possible to have a film that touches on deeper social and cultural issues and still makes it blisteringly funny and extremely entertaining. Four Steps in the Clouds is a charming comedy that focuses on a very gentle kind of humour, structuring itself as a comedy-of-manners that eventually becomes a potent, fiercely dedicated statement on the lives of ordinary people. Taking place almost entirely in the countryside (therefore immediately separating itself from the more bleak urban landscapes of the major cities), the film is a delicate glimpse into the lives and values of pastoral folk, and the efforts some took to maintain their views in the face of a rapidly-changing society, which is at the heart of this wonderfully effervescent and vaguely enchanting magical realist odyssey.

Four Steps in the Clouds is a film very much driven by the characters, and as a result, a large portion of the time was spent getting to know these people through the performances, which can only be described as magical at the very least. Social realism often lends itself to very strong work from actors, but rarely on the same level as we see reflected here, where each intricate detail is filtered through the perspectives of these characters, who represent bold archetypes, but are rarely cliched. Even the myopic country folk who hold onto their conservative values are shown as complex and compassionate in their own way, which leads to a rich tapestry of characters that feel incredibly authentic. The film is led by Gino Cervi , the beloved comedic actor whose career embodies the spirit of longevity, being one of the most reliable actors Italy had to offer – and what makes his performance so special is how he finds the balance between comedy and pathos, being able to draw on the character’s inherent eccentricities, but never neglecting the fact that he’s a much deeper character than just a hilarious source of comedy. He is joined for much of the film by the beguiling Adriana Benetti, who takes on the part of the broken young woman whose life is thrown into disarray by an unexpected pregnancy – and while a lot of the story is dependent on the connection formed between the two, Benetti is exceptionally strong in her own right, and even without Cervi’s reliable presence, she’d have made a formidable protagonist. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and contributes massively to the deeper meaning that simmers beneath the surface of the film and keeps it afloat.

The most accurate way to describe Four Steps in the Clouds is as a love story that is not centred on romance. We often see narratives about two people meeting by fate resulting in a plethora of beautiful moments as they realize that they are soulmates. However, this is not mandatory, especially when it becomes clear that even just a story of a budding friendship can have the exact same impact. The stakes in this film are relatively low – these two strangers pledge to endure this act for a single weekend, after which they will be allowed to go their separate directions – and considering how much of the film is invested in the tensions that come about as they undertake this masquerade, you would think Blasetti would resort to the same conventional trick of having them realize how much they love one another, and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Yet, the film ends and they simply go their own way, having spent a short but pivotal amount of time together, but not enough to convince them to abandon the lives they had already built individually. Four Steps in the Clouds is very much a film that reflects reality, and while the hilarity that ensues over the course of this weekend can be entertaining, there’s a sobering honesty that underpins the film and represents the director’s firm commitment to telling a beautiful but simple story. The love represented here is not one of romance, but rather a fondness for the human condition, and every frame of Four Steps in the Clouds seems to be driven by the desire to expand and retract on certain ideas that relate to the more intimate side of human connection, finding that elusive spark that makes life so worthwhile, and allows us to see the inherent beauty in even the most challenging of circumstances.

For nearly half a century, Alessandro Blasetti stood valiantly at the helm of Italian cinema, guiding it through some of its most harrowing challenges, with nearly every film he produced being a work of impeccable integrity and deep meaning, as well as featuring an abundance of romance, comedy and, most importantly of all, sincere heartfulness. This was more than enough to consolidate him into the canon of great Italian filmmakers – but it is his extraordinary compassion working in conjunction with his artistic ingenuity that elevates him to the level of a true master, someone whose vision is only surpassed by his fascination with the smallest details that define humanity. Beautiful, poetic and deeply funny, Four Steps in the Clouds feels like a work far bigger than its small, intimate perspective would suggest – but this only goes to demonstrate how Blasetti was able to assimilate so much more meaning into every frame than a more limited director might feel is possible, which is precisely why he is such a revolutionary, someone who proves that you don’t need to employ over-the-top techniques to make something riveting and exciting. It’s a very simple film, but it pulsates with the purest, most complex kind of passion, not only in terms of romantic interest, but in sincere admiration for the human condition as a whole, something that the director places at the very centre of the film, allowing all of the peripheral ideas to orbit around it, making for a sincere and humane story of a connection between two people who encounter each other by chance, but end up changing the other’s lives in ways that we may not always expect.