Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Screenplay: Giuseppe Tornatore

Cast: Monica Belluci, Giuseppe  Sulfaro, Luciano Federico

Strength: Cinematography, Acting

Duration: 109min

Rating: 8.5/10

PLOT: Malena is an unforgettable story of a young lad's journey into manhood surrounded by chaos of World War II and the most beautiful girl in a sleepy Italian village; Malena. She becomes the subject of increasingly cruel gossip among the lustful townsmen and their jealous wives. But only the lad, Renato Amoros, will learn of her mysterious story.

REVIEW: Malena is an Italian romantic-drama movie, based on a story by Luciano Vicenzoni, made in 2000. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, the film is wonderfully crafted and a subtle tale of a woman whose life is destroyed because she has the misfortune to be a town's obsession. It conveys the sorrow that comes with a woman enduring hardship during wartime.

Malena captured a lot of Italian second qualities, in humor and pungency gestures. There are some nude and sex scenes in the movie but they do not give the vulgar feel. Instead they make us feel the pain of the lady. The goddess-like Monica Belluci rarely looks up or speaks in the film, but her expression and presence speaks volumes. Monica creates an aura of sadness around her character. When it is about acting, the boy presents vibrant performance, whose sweet obsession drives the plot. He speaks from the depth of the heart of a young lad which proves the love for Malena. There are some imaginative fantasy sequences and some heart-wrenching scenes. Malena does not need to tell its story; the moving picture should be sufficed. It is surely a masterpiece capturing the purity and the innocence of first love and a victim of her own beauty.



Reviewed by Saqiba Nowshin Junnurine