Marco Bellocchio's feature film debut at the age of 26 is a stylish black-and-white corrosively bleak family drama in the tradition of Italian neo-realism. The film's major point is to show that inaction can often lead to serious consequences if abnormal behavior is not corrected by those who should know better. The moody piece is striking, completely absorbing, filled with caustic humor and is well-acted. It somehow manages not to be a shocker, a clinical study or like an American TV soap opera despite its story line dipping into all those areas.