La siciliana ribelle

This is a movie I would see again and again. The is the kind of film that pays tribute to the true cinematic experience: a perfectly told story with beautiful cinematography that lets us move along with the characters and took the necessary time to let us care about these people. Wonderfully directed, with awesome performances by the actors. While some directors might have chosen more violent scenes in this true account of going up against the mafia, Marco Amenta chose something we don't see too much in films anymore: imagination. This film unfolded rather than assaulted, tantalized rather than terrorized.

Bravo!

This mafia revenge story might have been a good film but, a weak script and some horrendous acting render it with the kiss of death. As a child young Rita witnesses her father's cold blooded murder at the hands of a rival mafia clan. Years later in an attempt to bring justice she seeks the assistance of the district prosecutor and is placed in a witness protection program in Rome.

While strolling the Colosseum she feels she is being followed. Moments later she encounters the stranger and shortly after is calmly chatting with him soon they are dating. It is mindless and ridiculous instances like this that completely undermine any credibility in this tale. Her life has been threatened but, somehow it's okay to strike up a budding romance with some guy in Rome.

Much later Rita is placing phone calls home from her Rome apartment not terrific thinking if you value your life and your enemies can easily be tapping the lines. Aside from many flaws within the story the biggest fault with this film was the casting of Veronica D'Agostino in the title role.

Ms. D'Agostino is an acting neophyte and it shows with every over the top glare and pained expression she delivers. In her attempt to appear indignant her face contorts in such odd fashions she looks somewhere between constipated and deranged, or both. She is capable of one note throughout the entire film, anger. In fact you get the feeling that the love interest she encounters in Rome was probably created to develop another more uplifting shade to her on screen demeanor.

A good actress would hold the picture together and elevate the weak material by giving the viewer someone to care about. The Sicilian Girl suffers from wretched acting, poor writing and should be swimming with the fishes and not in your cue.

As I have always said, and as I always will, WHO, better the Italians, cook pasta OR speak about mafia, true, genuine mafia, from the small villages in Sicily, Sardinia, or even big cities such as Naples or Rome? Like Russians talking about Gulag or Tchernobyl disaster; who better than them? No one. So, back to this Italian film, I don't compare it with those polizzotescos - pure Italian crime flicks that spread in the seventies - where mafia was mostly - not always though - shown thru endless gunfights with machine guns and car chases, movies destined to saturday evening red necks - or not - audiences. No, this one belongs to another category, the movies describing the mafia thru the eyes of the common people and the police force who fought against the "octopuss". Those movies were mostly directed by the likes of Francesco Rosi, Damiano Damiani, Pasquale Squieteri, very gloomy and downbeat stories. Because so close to real facts, real history. This one makes no exception, it is very well done in every way; yes, Italians are real professionals when they speak of mafia. More than they make westerns....

Sicily and mafia. It would be a first thought an average person would have, however unjust or unfair it might be. " The Sicilian Girl" is a strange, a bit clunky movie, torn between the court drama and passionate bloody opera. The medieval, macabre, isolated world of rural Sicily, with its outdated sense of honor and codes of conduct, that nobody else would understand or relate to. The heroine of this movie is a strong willed, privileged young woman, trying to avenge the death of her father and brother. Gradually, she manages to accept the fact that they both, were criminals, like the people she hated. The movie is missing something hard to explain,firmer shape, and there is a bad choice of casting the unfortunate leading actress prone to overacting.

Only because more people will have seen "Veronica Guerin," I cite that splendid film as an introduction to "The Sicilian Girl." The themes are similar -- true stories of young women who invite death by exposing murderous activities. In this case, Rita Atrria (Veronica D'Agostino), a 17 year old from a Sicilian village controlled by the Mafia, takes her story, documented by diaries she has been keeping for many years, to an anti-Mafia prosecutor, Paolo Borsellino (Gerard Jugnot) seeking vengeance for the murder of her father and brother, both of whom were themselves members of the Mafia. Rita's diaries confirm incidents which the police have tracked and lead to the arrest of her town's Mafia chieftains, including the ones who had her father and brother killed. To avoid spoiling the story, I will offer no more of the details except to say that Rita's revelations make both her and Borsellino targets for assassination. Ms. D'Agostino and Mr. Jugnot are excellent actors, and a number of other roles are very well done. The movie is exciting and well worth the two hours it takes to watch it. As with any of the movies based on a "true" story, one is left wondering where truth leaves off and fiction takes over. I can guess at the juncture, but for the most part "The Sicilian Girl" is very convincing.