Review of Malena (2000) by Matt M — 07 Jun 2013

This film about a 13 year old boy's obsession with a beautiful woman in a small war bound Sicilian village is a wonderful coming of age tale of love, loss and courage which feels a lot like Fellini's I Vitelloni, but carries the nostalgic brand of Tornatore in style.

The technical side of the film is perfect, as it is not only paced to visually represent the frenzy of puberty and loss of sexual innocence, but also set to glorifying female beauty, here represented by the beautifully curvaceous Monica Bellucci in a star making role.