Stromboli

From the netherlands! Sara (elise schaap) returns to an island off the italian coast. With the flashbacks, it's clear she has been here before, and that it was not pleasant. And this trip isn't starting too well either. Except for the quickie she had on the boat. She meets up with people from the healing retreat, and if she can stick to the rules, maybe she can finally let go of the bad things in her past and begin to heal. But is she ready to face it again? When are people ready to face horrible things from their past? All while the volcano is rumbling every couple hours. Such pretty scenery. Too bad the locations are not currently listed. But there really is an island called stromboli, just north of the toe on the boot of italy! Has it's own page on wikipedia dot org. Really great film, even if some of the story is hard to watch, as they vent and relive some of those painful memories. This may be a bit much for some viewers. Directed by michiel van erp.

An easy 7 from me, very "Different" film here, i found quite moving at times, well made, acted and a REAL movie that easily stands out from most of the rubbish that passes for movies these days with ridiculous 10/10 reviews, a red flag right away, as even the best of movies would not be perfect.

I don't want to reveal any of the story, which surprised me, as i wasn't expecting much, and if any movie isn't holding my attention by 20 minutes, it's off and on to the next.

So i'd say that i expect this will certainly be at least a worthwhile watch and hold your attention throughout.

I liked it.

As "Stromboli" (2022 release from the Netherlands; 85 min.) opens, we are introduced to Sara, a recently divorced mom with a 14 yo daughter who hates her. Sara is on a cruise ship heading toward the Italian island of Stromboli for some much needed R&R. On the island, Sara gets into trouble after she loses her purse and her iPhone, and then she is kicked out of her apartment... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest vehicle starring Elise Schaap (as Sara). Schaap became an overnight sensation on the Belgian TV series "Undercover" in her role as Danielle. Mind you, "Undercover" is a fantastic TV series (now 3 seasons into it). Alas, I can't say the same thing about "Stromboli", whose only raison d'etre seems to be that it was filmed on the infamous island. Apart from that, the plot, such as it is, is riddled with cliches and terrible dialogue. And what is the film: a comedy? A drama? It's a cocktail gone horribly wrong, and at times simply cringe-inducing.

"Stromboli" recently started streaming on Netflix (which also has all 3 seasons of "Undercover" plus the split-off movie "Ferry" in its library. I'll be honest: the only reason I watched "Stromboli" is because it stars Elise Schaap. That doesn't mean you have to. In fact, I cannot recommend "Stromboli" to anyone in good conscience. It is truly one of the worst movies I've seen in a long, long time. Typically I urge others to check it out and draw their own conclusion, but I'm not even going to do that here. By all means, stay away from this crap. "Stromboli" is 85 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

The person who wrote this screenplay has no idea about how mental health professionals should approach trauma and how a person heals from it. If a person actually went to this retreat, they would leave more traumatized. Jens' character seems to get off on reliving the worst moments of these people's lives. The only saving grace in this movie is the beautiful scenery and the actors. The character's stories were interesting but the "healing" was forced. I'd recommend skipping. I'd also recommend those who wrote the film consult with at least one mental health professional and one person who has attended therapy, minimum, before filming something as tone-deaf as this movie.

First of all I think that is a decent movie. Kinda sad unfolding but in good terms. The main character that is having a break for vacations is kinda foggy with her selection of her style of living. It starts kinda frivolous but as we watching unfolding her story it's an internal journey in her soul.

Most people think that persons with past traumas are easily get over with them in a short time. I think it's not easy. So we see that together with side stories of othar people all of them are trying to overpass their past.

Now the verdict. It's kinda shallow like a story. The dialogues are kinda improvised. The characters have a past like all of us but in the end they seem a bit superficially harmed by their past. I got a bit confused about the motives of the director or scriptwriter. But overall it's a decent movie with no much to admire or reflect inside your thought.

It's a straight 4/10.