The free, fifth annual Italian Film Festival of St. Louis starts tonight at 8 p.m. in Brown Hall at Washington University. The opening film is “La Giusta Distanza” (”The Right Distance”), a romantic mystery that was nominated for best film at the Italian equivalent of the Academy Awards.

Like another of the festival films, “The Wind Blows Round,” it’s a story about the ripples of consequence when a stranger moves to a country village. In this case, it’s a not a French goatherder but a pretty substitute schoolteacher, who catches the eye of both an aspiring teen journalist and a Tunisian auto mechanic. Combining elements of “American Beauty and “The Last Picture Show,” it gently spins a web that encompasses a rich variety of characters. Then, in the movie’s second half, the undercurrent of yearning turns dark, and the lovelorn cub reporter finds himself investigating a brutal crime.

Here’s a trailer in Italian (although the local screening will, of course, be subtitled):

This evocative picture of provincial italy is a great way to the start the free fest, which continues with screenings of recent releases each Friday and Saturday evening through April 25. Friday showings are at 8; Saturday showings begin at 5, and the same film gets repeated at 8. For a complete schedule, check if the festival Web site is up and running. Or just show up at Brown Hall tonight at 8. After all, nobody doesn’t like Italian.