The film primarily focuses on one of the four Red Brigades members, a young woman named Chiara. Her function is to maintain the house where the three who kidnapped Moro live, to feed them and Moro, and be the conduit to the outside world. Chiara finds herself confronting the clash between the fervent belief in the Red Brigade ideals, and the reality of their activities, much like the real Red Brigade members who left following the kidnapping of Moro. A pivotal moment is when Chiara attends the memorial service for her father who died as part of the resistance fighters in World War II. Bellochio points out to the very real fight for the liberation of Italy as opposed to the more abstract notions of liberation of a different generation. Like previous Bellochio films, the Red Brigades unit stands in for the fractured family unit that is often the subject of his films, with Aldo Moro as the patriarch that the children are rebelling against.

The actors are often filmed in close-ups. Chiara, especially, is photographed in shadows, with only the upper part of her face visible. Documentary footage is integrated into the narrative, often as part of television broadcasts. Bellochio is not totally realistic with the story, allowing dream images of Moro padding quietly through the apartment while his kidnappers are asleep and even walking alone on a cold, quiet street.

The DVD comes with a documentary titled Same Rage, Same Spring. Much of the film explains the history behind the Red Brigades and the kidnapping with interviews of former Red Brigades members, as well as having Bellochio explain his motivations in making the film. The documentary also serves as an overview of Bellochio's career, with an emphasis connecting Good Morning, Night, with his first film, Fists in His Pockets. Bellochio also talks about his own family and growing up Catholic. Of particular interest is the revelation that he had a twin brother who committed suicide in 1968, giving autobiographical meaning to the film The Eyes, the Mouth. A backwards retrospective of Bellochio's feature films, each a few seconds long, is included. Bellochio is one filmmaker I care enough about to see as many of his films as possible. The recent DVD release of Devil in the Flesh, and the scheduled U.S. release of Good Morning, Night, are most welcomed.