Malena

Writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore tries to get two plots into his new film, "Malena." One discusses the demonization of women and mob mentality in WWII-era Italy. The other discusses a young boy's sexual awakening, as facilitated by a beautiful woman with whom he becomes obsessed. Which of these plotlines sounds more interesting?

If you said "demonization and mobs," you're not gonna like "Malena." Tornatore damn well should center the film around the widow Malena Scordia, seeing as how she is played by Monica Bellucci, whose beauty is of a kind that makes grown men weak. But Tornatore puts a boy in between us and Bellucci. He's named - there's some subtle name symbolism coming up - Renato Amoroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro), and he likes to watch Malena through various windows. He also likes to whack off to cinema-derived fantasies involving him and Malena. And normal fantasies, too. And to stare at Malena as she crosses the town square. You get the idea.

Tornatore's script and camera follow Renato around through the whole film, which means that Malena herself ends up existing solely as an object of desire and hatred, a woman who can't defend herself from the men who assume she's a whore because she looks so good, and from the women who know she's a whore because her husband's dead. Eventually, she has to become a whore because everyone thinks she is already and won't employ her. As the Germans and Americans duke it out over and in Italy, she chooses up the wrong side and takes abuse for that too. Don't worry - it gets worse!

The problem is that Malena's story is waaaaay more interesting than Renato's, which mainly consists of him convincing himself that because he cares deeply about Malena's happiness, his fantasies are more respectable than those of the men who just want to screw her. Tornatore concentrates on Renato and loses the audience. Muting Malena is a decision that could only seem true to a fantasizing 12-year-old. The rest of us moviegoers will appreciate Bellucci's staggering beauty, but wonder why Tornatore doesn't let her speak.

Monica Bellucci's beauty can be seen in a number of other films, none of which I have actually gotten off my ass and watched. I don't know what my problem is. I will rectify this situation with "The Matrix: Reloaded" in March.

Foreign Films Home

Movie Reviews Home

Spam-O-Matic Home