Sicilian Ghost Story

The young actors were pretty good, but I think the pacing of the drama let it down, and there seemed to be confusion about how magical to let the magical realism become.

Sicilian Ghost Story: A tale of young love, kidnapping and horror; a new take on the "Mafia Film" set in a Sicilian town. Luna (Julia Jedlikowska) is in love withe 13 year old classmate Giuseppe (Gaetano Fernandez), they teasingly play in the forest, when a dog threatens Luna he protects her, losing his schoolbag. When Giuseppe disappears Luna is forlorn, thinking he just abandoned her but it is soon revealed that he was kidnapped by the Mafia as his father, also a mafiosi is cooperating with the authorities.

Locals do not want to discuss it and there is a consensual myth even at the school that the boy is ill. Luna won't stop looking for him, even producing leaflets about his disappearance. Her parents fear that this will draw the attention of the gangsters and the town police don't want to be reminded of the reality.

Much more than a gangster film this tale develops as Luna seems to forge a psychic bond with Giuseppe, seeing him in captivity, viewing where he will be moved to. Giuseppe is also aware of that link and undergoes out of body experiences as he falls ill whilst in captivity. As the film progresses the supernatural elements build towards to a climax which threatens to provide a Romeo and Juliet ending.

Some terrible scenes of cruelty, violence and horror. In the forest sequences there is a sense of primeval panic as the sparse trees seem to close in looking like bars in a prison cell. Great performances by Julia and Gaetano. Written and directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza this is truly a powerful tale of love conquering fear and indifference. 9/10.

A slow pacing story, that some have connected to other movies that are very spiritual and have class. This one really tells a great story with a lot of suspense. And I'm not going into it, because while it isn't really a lot of story going on, it is the subtext. But also the coming of age part of it. It is the mystery, it is the youthfulness, it is the fantasy aspect of it.

Don't expect this to be horror though. If that is what you want to watch, there are other movies for you out there. This one is fantastical and a movie that might feel like it's dragging for people who may not have the patience to watch something that does not have flashy scenes and multiple cuts and a really faster story. It does do a great job and while you probably can see where this is going, it still has a lot of interesting ideas to keep you interested. Even a small "cheat" can be forgiven, because the vibe the movie sends out, is not just being real or reality

In a small Sicialian town, Luna (Julia Jedlikowska), a teenage schoolgirl is infatuated with one of her classmates, Giuseppe (Gaetano Fernandez). After he disappears she experiences visions that suggest that he is in danger, but her concerns are met with silence from the local community. Only a handful of friends join her in the search. She attempts to use her visions to trace him.

The film is based off the real life kidnapping of Giuseppe Di Matteo in 1993 who was kidnapped by the Mafia to silence his father. He was held for over 700 days before he was murdered. The film drifts between fantasy and reality, often disarming the viewer. A genuinely haunting film, especially at the film's conclusion it has a dreamlike aesthetic to it.

Directing: 8 Acting: 7 Story: 6 Production values: 8 Suspence / Thriller level: 7 Action: 3 Mystery / unknown: 4 Romance level: 9 Comedy elements: 1