Written & Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Story by Luciano Vincenzoni
Loved Malena to the bits. Beautiful camera work, beautiful writing, beautiful editing. Beautiful blend.
This is an unrequited love story between Renato, the boy and Malena but this is also more than that. This is about Malena’s life, her journey and about Renato’s life and his journey but we see them both through the eyes of Renato. Like he writes in his letter to Malena’s husband, he is the only one in the village who knows the truth about Malena and he acts as our lens as well.
It is amazing how the writer chose the eyes of Renato to look at the story of Malena. This film cannot be this great if you take out either one of these characters. You take out Renato and focus only on Malena, it becomes a normal story of a widow. You take out Malena herself and focus on Renato, it becomes a normal story of a teen having his sexual awakening. It is when these two worlds emerge, it becomes amazing.
Renato’s love for Malena becomes sacred to him, it becomes very important. There are A LOT of things I liked about this film. I’m sure this post is going to be random. I don’t know how to structure my thoughts clearly.
I loved how it’s written and how it’s shot. Renato clearly lacks the courage to even write a letter. He only acts as an observer, unable to do anything. But in the journey he musters up courage and finally writes a letter to Malena’s husband which serves as an important one. This too, he does out of his love for Malena.
If I’d written this film, I would have ended it when Malena leaves the village. (I know I’m a frickin cliche.) But the writer doesn’t end it there. I thought the film will end when her husband comes back, receives the letter, goes away to find Malena. But it doesn’t end there. I thought it will end when she comes back to the village with her husband and starts a life there. No end there.
It ends with the perfect moment, the perfect scene, the most fitting and the most appropriate scene, with Renato and Malena sharing a very small conversation. The story has come full circle. There is this satisfaction in all our hearts as much as there is in the heart of Renato who was waiting for a moment like this.
That’s what makes this film beautiful. The story of Malena is a tragedy. But Renato’s presence adds something very beautiful to the story.
I can keep writing about this film.
Renato says in the end that he’s told many women after he’d had sex with them that he will never forget them but the only person he actually never ever forgets is Malena.
C’est belle.
mightythunderandrain 