Malena is a film based on a story by Luciano Vincenzoni.It takes place in a Sicilian town at the time of Mussolini's fascism.
Renato Amoroso(Giuseppe Sulfaro) is a young boy of 13 years of age and like most boys is far more concerned about the opposite sex.The boys watch and admire a lady called 'Malena' who is sexy and curvaceous(Monica Belucci).Most of the people think shes a whore for walking around town nice and pretty.They think she is an exhibitionist.
The political and social issues of that time affect Malena in a dramatic way in that her beauty becomes a danger in that time.Her Father is a schoolteacher and he dies in a bombing.Malena was a widow and her boyfried has gone to war.She is left alone to support herself.
Renato watches over Malena discreetly through peepholes and gets close to her without her knowing he is there for he loves Malena,he knows that he can't be with her because of age and times.Even if Malena is in the worst of times,Renato watches over herand knows whats really going on.
The people around Malena abuse her beauty in a bad way,the men pay her for sex who are married,women are jealous that she is prettier than other women in town and sleeps with their husbands!
Malena needed the money and after what she went through she knew she could'nt be seen as anything else other than a pretty model prostitute.So she gives in to her own townpeoples view on her as a whore and receives a lot of money to support herself.She herself wants some loving in return as well but it is the love of her boyfriend she needs and she dances with his picture around the house.
Renato grows up in these times from a small teen to a man eventually knowing that Malena is the girl who influenced the whole of the town by just walking quietly in the street each day.Malena is his Renatos ideal woman for her innocence,gentleness and beauty.
Renato is the boy who makes Malenas troubles disappear eventually by helping her out in these hard times by keeping a distance viewing her through a peephole and letting her loved ones know where she is and know that she is safe.
This is a good Italian movie,like all Italian movies they all have some political or social issue of the time and how people,whoever they are make a big difference in other peoples lives.The emotion and all feelings come out of an Italian movie that touches the people who watch them.
I think the film is a good buy with a director who focuses more on music as well to suit different occasions in the film to bring out the culture of Italy.