Director: Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Talent: Julia Jedlikowska, Gaetano Fernandez, Vincenzo Amato, Sabine Timoteo
Released: 3 August
It’s a bit of a mongrel this one. A coming-of-age drama with first kisses and first loves. A supernatural tale tinkering around with little bits and pieces of Guillermo del Toro’s treasure trove. And it’s also the retelling of a tragic real-life mafia-infused story (father turned grass, his son was kidnapped and tortured over 26 months as retribution until finally negotiations broke down completely).
Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, it is an unusual film. The pieces of the puzzle don’t quite sit together. Jedlikowska as the love-struck Luna does a lovely job and so too does poor Giuseppe, played by Fernandez. Theirs is a blossoming attraction full of promise…before the ruddy adults get involved. The adults are all just hands and faces popping in and out of the screen being irrational and odd (as is the case for Luna’s mother played by Swiss actress Timoteo) or being darkly quiet, like all the grimy looking sweaty bad guys.
Perhaps knowing the background story beforehand is a blessing. In some ways Sicilian Ghost Story might have seemed just a little too silly otherwise. The build up overall is slow and the pay off is minimal. Along the way we are lead to believe that Luna is somehow connected to the kidnapped Giuseppe through her nightmares and through the force surrounding the nearby lake. This supernatural current is an unseen entity and beyond that nothing is really explained.
But it is an interesting and often times quite beautiful looking film full of emotion. It’s a little odd perhaps, and there are possibly too many ingredients to tie it all together successfully but it’s still worth investigating.
Words: Shane O’Reilly
