Viola, Franca

I saw this film yesterday when it premiered at Raindance Film Festival in London. The backbone of the film is a real event that happened to a real woman who changed the course of history with her attitude towards the idea that any wrongdoing needs to be punished. It needs to be put into place, it needs to be recognised and dealt with as what it is, something wrong.

I really appreciated the fact that the film did not overdo it with the drama of the punishment nor with the refusal of the 'rehabilitating marriage' nor with how things unfolded in the aftermath. The main character's proud, soft smile followed immediately by the simple phrases at the end, are explanatory enough for what needs to be remembered about this film - that the emancipation of women had to happen, it happened and it will still happen.

After the screening, the director talked about the inspiration for her film, her homeland Italy and the book she read about the true story of Franca Viola. I would encourage anyone to read about Franca Viola. Her story is much more powerful than what is depicted in this film and definitely is of significant importance to our lives.

Viola, Franca: a great cinematographic experience.