Chicago International Film Festival Review
Sicilian Ghost Story
Before “Sicilian Ghost Story” began, the director
Antonio Piazza introduced the film. He said that this was a true story that
took place on the island of Sicily of Italy in 1996. It was such a painful
story, something that stuck with Piazza and his co-director Fabio Grassadonia
that they felt they needed to make it. They sat on telling this story for many
years. It now felt like the time to tell this story that rattled many people
for years.
“Sicilian Ghost Story” is about Giuseppe (Gaetano
Fernandez) and Luna (Julia Jedlikowska), two teenagers who are the budding of
puberty, and noticing that they are falling for each other. It’s very innocent
romance, carefully brought to life with tender care and nurturing affect. It’s
sweet acting by Fernandez and Jedlikowska. Giuseppe is a rich privileged kid,
but he’s not the type of rich snob that we see in movies about kids. There is
an undoubtedly strong sweetness to him and he is drawn to Luna as much as she
is drawn to him. Much is seen from Luna’s perspective, she stalks him, she is
curious about him, and he handles her advances with lots of sincerity.
Then one day, Giuseppe disappears. He is gone for a
few days from school, and Luna just figures that he is sick. Then he’s gone for
weeks, then a month and she begins to sense that something is wrong. She tries
going to his house, and his family is very pushy about keeping her out. This
bright kid is gone, and it seems like nobody cares. This feels unusual just
from an American perspective. We all know that if a rich, privileged kid
vanished it would be all over the news, but not in Sicily. There’s a reason for
that. Giuseppe’s father has connected to the mafia, and he’s beginning to talk to
the police. So, Giuseppe was taken by the mafia until his father stops talking
to the police.
Luna’s feelings are incredibly strong, Giuseppe isn’t
just some fling, she is very much into him. So, she tries to look for him,
makes lost fliers, pushes her school to do more, even begins to do some
investigation herself. But the village keeps quiet. In Sicily, one out of three
or four people you walk past is either part of the mafia, or know someone is
part of the mafia. The roots of one of the world’s oldest organized crime
groups has its roots very deep on the island. But that doesn’t stop Luna from
looking for him, and even in captivity, it doesn’t stop Giuseppe from thinking
about Luna too.
The film is so mesmerizing to watch because the two
young leads are so good at what they do. Jedlikowska is very strong as a young
actress. She drives the whole movie, she is in front of the camera for most of
the film and in scene after scene, she delivers the goods. She has great
chemistry with Sabine Timoteo, who plays her mother. Luna’s mother believes
that Luna needs to forget about Giuseppe and focus on school. Jedlikowska also
has equally great chemistry with Vincenzo Amato, who plays her father, who is
lot more laid back compared to Luna’s mother. The film is rich with powerful
performances.
What’s also interesting about the film is how its
structured. The film is a lot more experimental that I would have anticipated.
If you are familiar with the recent work by Terrance Malick, there were several
moments in the movie that felt very Malick-y in set up and pay off. It’s so noticeable
that it kind of through me off a couple times. Feeling distracting. I don’t
know how a feel about a film about the fate of a teenager, and a girl desperate
to find him should feel arty or beautiful in any way. Granted, lots of the
movie deals in Luna and Giuseppe dreaming of being with each other. But the
line between dream and reality begins to blur, and throws the storyline off
every once in a while.
“Sicilian Crime Story” is still a powerful mystery
film. It’s something that I can never imagine being remade in America. The
content in the film is a little too dark and too stark for the American market,
I can just tell. This is a story that goes all the way, and it doesn’t tie a
happy ending to the film. American movies are so quick to tack a happy ending
to a movie, no matter what the subject matter. Not here. The movie plays
grounded and real, when the movie isn’t busy dreaming that is.
FINAL GRADE: B+
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