Everyone has a dream or some wish that they want to come true, regardless of its practicality or worth. For crazy engineer Giorgio Rosa (Elio Germano), this dream is to build his own independent island outside of any owned territory. In “Rose Island,” the viewer is taken along on the remarkable journey of one Giorgia Rose trying to achieve his dream.

Giorgio has this dream to create a free island with his laws and leadership, outside of anyone else’s governmental rule. He plans to build and develop said island off the Rimini coast in Eastern Italy beyond Italian waters. Originally, he thought of the idea hoping to impress and win his ex-girlfriend, Gabriella (Matilda De Angelis), who had been in a relationship of her own. Giorgio enlists the help of his friend, Maurizio (Leonardo Lidi), to help get his island running.

While he is an eccentric man, to say the least, Giorgio had a vision. And this vision was not stopped by other people stand in the way of achieving his goal. He constantly was judged and set back by numerous people including his unsupportive parents, while trying to build this island. It is commendable that he kept persevering through all of his obstacles, even when he knew he had little support.

A crucial theme throughout the movie is friendship and prioritizing loved ones. Maurizio and Giorgio do not leave each other’s side no matter what comes their way. They are faced with disputes with several strong officials of groups including the Italian government, the United Nations, and the Council of Europe who are all trying to shut down their island. Through it all, Maurizio and Giorgio stay strong and continue to build their island amid the struggles.

I feel that incorporating a back-story to more of the characters other than Giorgio could have made this movie more entertaining. Adding more focus onto character’s like Wolfgang Rudy Neumann (Tom Wlaschiha), a stateless German club promoter who becomes a prominent member of Rose Island, or Franca (Violetta Zironi), a young pregnant girl who works as the bartender of Rose Island, would have added more depth to the plot.

Nonetheless, this movie is inspirational to any with a dream, and it exhibits what hard work can provide to someone. Giorgio’s goal was not very practical, but he fought to get it done while keeping his loved-ones by his side. He sets his priority straight of establishing a successful independent island, and he does just that.

“Rose Island” is a movie based on the events of a true story, and it was directed by Sydney Sibilia. It was originally filmed in Italian but is available to stream in English on Netflix. The runtime is 1 hour and 57 minutes.

Rating: A-