Malena (Movie Review)

I thought I had my fill of coming-of-age films during the 1980s. But it seems those films were all cookie cutter Hollywood formula movies. In 2000, a fresh, sensual coming-of-age film came out of Italy that made the ones I remember seem incredibly tame. The sexual side of "coming-of-age" is more thoroughly examined in this recollection of the woman that brought out the man in all the adolescent boys of a small coastal town in Italy. Malena!

Malena was written by Luciano Vincenzoni who appears to narrate his own coming-of-age during World War II in Italy. He is much older, as evidenced by his own admission that he does not recall many of the loves he had over the years, but will never forget the day he met Malena. It was his twelfth birthday and Il Duce had just pronounced war against Britain. He got a new (used) bicycle for his birthday, but even a bigger surprise when he found out what an erection is. The character is Renato Amaroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro). He is introduced to Malena (the incredibly sensual Monica Bellucci) by his young friends. Renato has a streak of independence and breaks free from his gawking friends, secretly tracking Malena's every move. Renato is aggravated by the incessant gossip in the town regarding Malena, who is outcast simply for her unparallelled beauty. Tragedy claims Malena as a victim, but a happy ending might still be in her future if Renato finally mans up.

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