Maléna

A film about a woman whose beauty managed to silence an entire town. Malena is Tornatore's study of human characters, in which the envy, lust and hypocrisy of adults and the dreams of those who have yet to become adults are at the forefront. The film is clever and, above all, initially warm - but all the more surprising is its dramatic part, which I can't call anything but dark and full of crap. There is no point in describing the charms of Monica Bellucci, because even a blind person would notice them, so I will just praise the direction of Mr. T. and the precise music of Mr. M., which gives it all the proper juicy Italian atmosphere. Four and a bit. (2010.08.28)

Malena captures the viewer's heart with its cunning and tenderness, which it serves piece by piece in breathtaking moments. The cinematography is surprisingly top-notch and the rural setting is tailor-made for the eccentric and beautiful titular character, convincingly played by Monica Bellucci, as always. The plot doesn't offer much, but the overall impact is so strong that you feel like you're eighty years old, lying on your deathbed, projecting your whole life piece by piece in your head with a melancholic mood and tears in your eyes. The legendary Ennio Morricone also deserves great deal of credit on this, showcasing a composition very similar to, for example, Once Upon a Time in America, which had a similarly crushing ending. (2008.08.31)

If anyone else made this film, I would probably given it a full rating. But this was not made by "anyone", but by Tornatore himself. And I simply expect more from him than "just" an excellent film in all aspects. (2005.04.29)