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A sweet, funny, odd, almost fairy tale of a film, with darker, tragic overtones. A mother reacts to the fact that her daughter is a dwarf by just refusing to deal with it herself, and forcing the town to ignore it, (as indeed they ignore all unpleasant truths), turning her into an educated, artistic fascinating young lady. Meanwhile an older playboy in town, suddenly falls for the young dwarf, seeing in her the woman that will finally make him happy. There are a few emotional and logic leaps here, and some parts drag, and some jokes (the senile, incomprehensible mayor) get old. But Marcello Mastroianni is so wonderful and human as the elder man trying to court this young girl that he makes up for a number of shaky moments. If the other leads had been up to his level, this could have been a much deeper film. But for me, Alexandra Poedsta who plays Charlotte, the little daughter, simply doesn't have the charisma or ease to make the love story really work. She has a slight uncomfortable awkwardness in front of the camera, that kept me always aware she was acting, and thus made it hard for me to fall in love with her along with Marcello. But it does get points, as Time Out puts it, for being a tender subtle movie that never romanticizes itself. It's certainly a unique, one-of-a-kind film, and we have far too few of those.

It stars one of the world's greatest actors, Marcello Mastroianni, who plays a sophistated world traveler, now retired to a small town. He is immediately drawn to a much younger woman. Charlotte is the smartest, most talented woman in town. They are a perfect match but.....

Charlotte is a dwarf and has been sheltered from the realities of life by her mother. When the real world intrudes in a twist of fate, the love between them takes an unexpected turn. A charming fantasy that lingers in the mind.

I have seen this movie twice and I am liking it more and more. It is EXCELLENT. It has the flavor of a fairy tale, and, in fact, it is a tale, a tale with a strong spirit of freedom. It inspires to uncover meanings that are expressed in a language of metaphors. Who in us is that small girl who is so thirsty of knowledge and adventure? Is it our own aim of the unknown? What does the white horse represent? Who is the mother? Then, as well, it can be observed as a criticism of a society fragmented in classes, where corruption is allowed, but body malformation is rejected. A society based on relationships of control, mothers over children, men over women... I feel amazed by the self-confidence of the protagonist, by how she is accepted by children, but rejected by adults. The love story in this movie could represent the inner search for the most authentic in us, which we tend to project outside, like in a mirror. Watch it and enjoy it. It is about you, about us, about life.