Young Love

                

         This movie takes place in Sicily during the Second World War the time when Italy joined. The story revolves around a very beautiful woman, Malèna Scordia, whom every man desires and every woman envies. What kept those men away from her is the fact that she’s married. Her husband was one of the soldiers fighting for their country. But one day, when news arrived that he was dead, Malèna’s life started to change. Men wanted her even more, even the young boys. One of those boys was Renato, 12 years old boy, that grew obsessed with her and stalked her. He saw how Malèna suffered as men now had a reason to pursue her in any means possible. Gossips about her grew worst. A slanderous letter about her was sent to her deaf father which broke their father-daughter relationship. As the war worsens, a bomb was thrown onto their village that caused her father’s death. She begins to lose money because of the things that had been happening. She was accused of having an affair with a married man and was brought to court. A lawyer helped her and was freed. Knowing that she had nothing to pay him, he forced himself upon her in exchange. Out of severe poverty, she forced herself to engage to prostitution. She slept with various men, even with the Germans. When the war ended, a group of women beat her up in public and humiliated her. She was forced to leave the village and was last seen by Renato riding a train to Messina. Days or months later Malèna’s husband, Nino Scordia, arrived at the village with a lost arm. Everyone was shocked at the sudden appearance of a man who was alleged dead. He went straight to his house but instead of finding his wife, he found a group of refugees. He asked around searching for his wife but no one dared to tell him. Renato, almost knowing everything, told Nino through a letter. Nino went after Malèna and went back to the village to start a new life. The women no longer saw her as a threat in their village and were astonished for the bravery that she showed. During the end of the movie, Renato said, “Of all the girls who asked me to remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask.”

            Basically, the story is being narrated by Renato as he watched Malèna. The flow of the story was done great allowing the viewers to understand the story. This also had the right amount of suspense in it. The movie wouldn’t have been effective if it wasn’t for the character of Giuseppe Sulfaro which was Renato. He had done a fine way to portray a young boy who had obsession with an untouchable woman. He had performed well on showing the steps he’d taken to enter manhood. He had also given the film a reason to laugh. Monica Belluci, as Malèna, had also effortlessly portrayed her role well. She was beautiful in any angle, clothe or unclothe. She had successfully shown romance, bravery, and sympathy with only a few words spoken. The two leads did great even if they had less interaction.

            The setting of the movie was at town of Castelcuta, Sicily during the world war, which is therefore a political allegory. This showed how the government worked during those days. The setting helped give viewers a glimpse of what the past looked. The dirty yellow color used in the movie made it seem like the place was really old and was in a huge mess which made it more effective. In addition to this were the type of buildings used, which were old stuccos and stone legends.

            The movie silently speaks of what love is. One was shown by Malèna as she loyally and faithfully loves his husband regardless of distance. Second is shown by Renato as he continues to keep an eye on Malèna and guards her even if done behind her due to his lack of courage. The movie also shows how people treat each other: they all base it on someone’s appearance. Renato has also shown humanity through his willingness to step outside the box and grow into a man.

            I have noticed a few symbolisms in the movie as well. One is the wearing of pants. Renato, first seen wearing shorts was pushed away because he is seen as a young boy. This also showed how people judge by class or by their appearance. Another is the seat used in the barbershop. Renato, still wearing shorts, was forced to sit somewhere else while other men, who wore long pants, were treated respectfully. Another is the black dress worn by Malèna which showed how sorrowful she was with the death of her husband and her father. The cutting and dying of her hair symbolized the change in her life. This showed that she was letting go of her past and of who she was.

            Overall, the movie was worth watching as it dealt with a lot of issues like prostitution, war, and people’s poor judgments. It would have still gone well even without the sex scenes. I highly recommend this movie to everyone to see for themselves what the past was and see how it is today. This would open people’s eyes and start seeking for the betterment of their country and of themselves. I know I did.