The Hero's Journey in Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore).

The "ordinary world" to Salvatore takes place in a small village in Sicily. The most frequented place by the locals is a cinema that shows mostly Western films, black and white. The time is around the 1930's and 1940's era, Salvatore is just a small boy with an acute fascination with movies, especially the projection booth. Salvatore meets his "mentor figure" early on. It's the projectionist Alfredo. A much older man than Salvatore, eventually they …

…much to marry her and be with her, and she has slipped through his grasp via misinformation. But she tells him "no" and to just be happy that they were together. Salvatore "returns the elixir" after overcoming the tragedies of losing Alfredo and Elena and continuing what he does best, making movies. That way his memories of Elena are just that, memories - and the knowledge of Alfredo will be passed down through his films.