Rome in the eighties is lovingly rendered by filmmaker Mario Martone in his film “FUORI,” starring Valeria Golino. The cars of that period, the answering machine, the clothes that people wore, their hair.

This film retraces part of the real-life story of an Italian author, Goliarda Sapienza (played by Golino), whose fruitless attempts to get her manuscript “The Art of Joy” published will lead her to commit theft to survive. She gets caught reselling stolen jewelry and is sent to jail. Martone focuses on the few years she spent in jail and the period that followed. Nothing much happens in “FUORI,” but Golino’s captivating performance as Goliarda, the relationships she develops with her prison mates, one in particular, and Martone’s distinguished direction, make “FUORI” a pleasurable watch.

Sapienza is incarcerated in Rebibbia, Italy’s largest women’s penitentiary. She meets junkies, prostitutes and other thieves. Once she’s released from jail, she’ll continue her relationship with one former prison mate, Roberta (played by Matilda De Angelis).

Sapienza is outside the real world, and the film strikes a chord with this humane portrayal of her. She’s often lost in a daydream, alone in her apartment; she drinks whisky and lives for the moment. And Roberta is evidently the object of her attention once they both come out of jail. A friendship, and more, develops between the two; they meet in cafes, drink, and go out for strolls (there’s a bittersweet transgressiveness between these two). De Angelis is striking on screen; her turn as Roberta is the strength of this film for me.