Sicilian Ghost Story

The title is a bit of a misnomer, as SICILIAN GHOST STORY is a lyrical drama Co-Directed and Co-Written by the team of Fabio Grassandonia and Antonio Piazza. Inspired by the true story of the disappearance of a teenage boy in 1993, the movie isn't a documentation of the case as much as it takes off from the memories of that incident. Grassandonia and Piazza transform those memories into a Romeo & Juliet style fable, even though the lovers here kiss but once. Luna (Julia Jedikowska) and Giussppe (Gaetano Fernandez) have no sooner come together when they are violently thrust apart (needless to say, a certain Sicilian organized crime group is involved). The Directors take a while to build to what they are aiming for. The actors are good with Jedikowska being particularly winsome and determined. Once the movie's phantasmagorical aspects come to the fore, the second half gains its footing. The Directors were fortunate to pair up with a couple of master Director Paolo Sorrentino's (THE GREAT BEAUTY, YOUTH) collaborators in Critiano Travaglioli (editing) and Luca Bigazzi (cinematography) and they assist immeasurably in fulfilling their vision. The locations are well-chosen, including the key Agrigento ruins. While not the horror film the title promises, SICILIAN GHOST STORY is an engrossing tale of its own. It very much plays like the kind of legend the island locales might tell years from now. The one about the girl who loved too much.

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.

This is a beautifully made if really tragic love story. Tremendous acting from the two leads. Very powerful in its telling.

If you want something different, powerful and poignant,vthen this is for you.

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

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.