This is Not Hollywood: Avetrana

First, this is a nice miniseries, because it provides insights into daily life in a small Italian village. But more importantly, it is an intriguing story of murder and deceit, a real life drama, which does not follow the beaten path. Acting and directing are both convincing. It is worthwhile to find out more about this murder case on the Internet, as it has been described in several articles; but I would do so after seeing the miniseries. The case itself constantly puts the spectator on the wrong foot, which is a result of the complex societal structure of southern Italy. The villagers are both implicated as well as spectators, and of course, you as the viewer of the series are a spectator as well... you would probably be a criminal too in the same setting. All in all, a little gem of true crime reporting.

This series starts with a promising premise, diving into a real-life crime story that had the potential to captivate and inform. The show sets up an intriguing narrative with strong visuals and a pace that keeps you watching. However, despite its good intentions and initial hook, it falls short of delivering the depth needed to truly do justice to the true events it's based on.

One of the main issues is that the series skims over crucial details, leaving certain aspects of the story feeling rushed and underexplored. The characters, while well-acted, lack the nuanced development that would have made their actions and motivations more compelling. Instead of delving into the complexities of the case, the series often leans on superficial drama, which diminishes the weight of the true story it's meant to portray.

In the end, while it's an entertaining watch and may appeal to casual viewers, it feels like a missed opportunity. This series could have been an insightful exploration of a gripping crime story, but it struggles to rise above surface-level storytelling. For those looking for a deep dive into the real-life events, this series may leave them wanting more.

This is a surprise, a crime film, light and non-violent, the director makes this story enjoyable, he reveals the beauty of the area, he tiptoes closer to the tragedy that happened in this sunny town in Salento. But the drama emerges that in many towns and cities in Italy, loneliness and the absence of institutions, there is no listening center for young people, there is no cultural centre, there is no meeting or aggregation point for young people, the director introduces us to this desolate and completely deserted territory, we see a bar, the only meeting place for young people, not a cinema, not a library, not a theatre, the director was very good, he captured the desert of this country well, and all the actors were very good, the film was enjoyable, with excellent music!

I went into this series with all the skepticism I could muster, fully prepared to tear it apart and condemn its creators for what I assumed would be a crass exploitation of a murdered child's memory.

I expected a mediocre director reenacting the crime like a puppet show, tossing in a few dramatic moments, a dash of moralizing, and calling it art.

But by the end of the first episode, to my surprise, I found myself utterly captivated. The storytelling was elegant, deliberate, and profoundly moving.

The characters didn't feel like they were following a script; they felt alive, fully realized. The cast was extraordinary, and the direction brought out their very best.

Even with its grounding in the everyday, the story resonates with the weight of universal tragedy.

It's clear that Mezzapesa isn't just a director-he's an artist. He's given his characters something rare: a soul.

A really nice series composed of 4 episodes for an hour and I must say that they were very smooth. Let's say that at the beginning when this series was presented there were several doubts regarding respect for the family Scazzi but in the end I can say that this series manages to bring all the utmost respect towards this terrible event try to demonstrate a veil of truth that unfortunately still does not have 100% certainty. It is certain that this event made talk much all over Italy, from schools to politics, everyone talked about it but no one imagined that behind a "simple" disappearance there would be all this situation behind. Let's talk about the series... Despite being 4 episodes are really very smooth and the events narrated have the right time on screen, the soundtrack is beautiful even if not what original, The direction is well managed with some small wonder regarding some small genius camera movement. As for the cast I could not ask for better, a stellar cast with gigantic acting skills. Really a great series that manages to give justice to Sarah and make "clarity" on a case that has never had, a small problem of this series is that many of the characters do not know what happened (as for example Ivano), I was not very satisfied with the final but it remains an excellent series.