Abstract: Felice Castriota, a selfish accountant accused of mafia-related money laundering and tax fraud, is sentenced to community service at the Don Guanella care centre for people with disabilities. “Ho amici in Paradiso” shows how his sentence transforms into an opportunity to change the course of his life. There, he falls in love and meets his most valuable friends, who accompany him on his journey to become a better person.

Details: Felice Castriota is an accountant working in Salento, in southern Italy. He is introduced as a selfish and inconsiderate character, as in the first scene, he illegitimately parks with no regard in an accessible parking spot. He is arriving late to a meeting with the public prosecutor, who is accusing him of mafia-related money laundering and tax evasion, summing up to a minimum of 7 years in prison. The prosecutor makes it clear that he is not interested in jailing him. He would instead work out a deal with him to catch the well-known mafia’s exponent, U Pacciu, in exchange for a reduced sentence to 12 months of community service. He accepts, but as a whistle-blower against organized crime, he worries about paybacks and asks to carry it on somewhere else. Out of the prosecutor’s office, he gets in the car. He carelessly throws the handicapped parking violation ticket in the passenger seat’s drawer, with many others he never paid, and takes off. Because of the investigations, his accounts are frozen, and he asks for financial help from his mother, who feels very proud of him for his courage to take the deal. His community service will take place in Rome, in a housing treatment facility for people with disabilities. There, he meets Don Pino, the priest in charge of the centre, Katia, a sweet nurse teaching him the job, and Giulia, a beautiful psychologist. Felice initially shows a reluctant attitude and no interest other than in the charming psychologist, who rejects his flirting approach. He is specifically assigned Antonio, a young patient of the centre affected by spastic hemiplegia, whom he has to prepare for a medical examination the following day. However, his roommates, some older men affected by intellectual disabilities, are loud sleepers, and after lying awake awhile, he decides to spend the first night in his car. The next day, he does not wake up in time to get Antonio ready and gets in trouble with his colleagues. Giulia is furious, and Felice, out of scare, commits himself to making a more significant effort in the facility. After some assessment days, he started to befriend the facility’s guests. He even makes a deal with his roommates to sleep alone in a small but private room. He bonds particularly with Antonio and discovers that he had performed as an actor in Shakespeare’s “Richard III” some years ago. He also finds that Antonio is attracted by Carmelina, a girl who comes to the facility to dance the tango. So, Felice advises him on how to approach and impress her. However, he is still inexperienced and acts irresponsibly. For instance, he plays a drinking game with the patients, accidentally putting their health in danger. Giulia and Don Pino are furious, and as they threaten to send him away, Felice assures them that he is committing to his job and begs them to let him stay. He demonstrates his commitment as he volunteers to direct and stage the play “Richard II” with the guests of the Don Guanella. He gets this idea while watching Antonio perform some lines from the famous play to impress the girl he likes. Felice, amazed by Antonio’s talent, pitches the idea to Don Pino, who, after a first reluctant moment, accepts enthusiastically. Also, Katia is on board with the project and offers to help, whereas Giulia is positively surprised about Felice’s dedication. She starts to look at him from a different perspective, and when he invites her out for lunch, she happily accepts. He surprises her by planning a lunch at the facility, where her patients cook and wait for them. The two of them start to get to know each other better, and she shares some personal issues with him. She has been struggling to cope with the stress of being a single mother and raising a teenage son, Lorenzo, who is in the middle of a rebellious phase. He does not respect her job and rejects his mother’s authority while seeking refuge at his grandma’s. Giulia and Felice spend the whole afternoon together, and just as they are about to kiss, she receives a call from the police station, telling her that Lorenzo has been in a fight. The following week, she takes him to the Don Guanella, and Felice gives him a part in his play.
Just as everything finally seems to fall into place, some troubles are waiting for Felice around the corner. U Pacciu is pressing his lawyer to find out where Felice is hiding to give him a payback. Moreover, Giulia finds out that Felice has been sentenced to community service for a mafia-related crime and refuses to go out with him again. The worst comes as Antonio, while rehearsing the play, suddenly falls on the ground and dies before anyone can call medical assistance. Felice is devastated and wants to leave the centre since he has already concluded his community service time. However, Carmelina convinces him to stay and stage the play “Richard III.” Around the same time, U Pacciu is released from jail and is granted house arrest. When he finds out Felice is in Rome, he sends his men to go after him. During the kidnap, Carmelina overhears the conversation and finds a phone they dropped. So she takes it to her friends, and they decide to steal Felice’s car and save him by themselves. The day after, Giulia and her colleagues get suspicious since some patients, Felice and his car, are nowhere to be found, so they go after them with the vehicle. Meanwhile, they find out that U Pacciu is kidnapping Felice in Gallipoli and is threatening to kill him. Don Pino calls the police, who follow the car with the patients. Giulia, who parted from her colleagues to look for Felice alone, gets caught by U Pacciu’s men, who tie her down with him. Luckily, the patients, followed by the police car, find U Pacciu’s location and save Felice and Giulia. A kiss between the two shows her forgiveness and sentences the new start of their love relationship. The movie closes with the landscape of Gallipoli, with a voice-over of Antonio’s last lines he had performed before he died.