Michele Placido’s “Eternal Visionary” (Eterno visionario) is a sprawling look at legendary playwright Luigi Pirandello’s inner demons. Sweeping through the 1920s and 1930s, the playwright (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) ruminates on his past as fraught personal relationships tumble to the fore.

The film has scale and sweep. But it’s more interested in emotion and interiority, especially mental landscapes as they shift and are affected across a span of time. One may try to be in denial and repress the emotional shadow of certain circumstances but sooner or later, they will catch up. The haunting of the man hews itself all over “Eternal Visionary.” The wounds and guilt are as persistent as the stubborn ego of the artist who pushes for the ‘human sincerity’ in his work to be recognized. He’s almost deluded in several instances.

The film portrays the genius of a man who feels constantly misunderstood by everyone around him.