35/43
But only by recognizing this love can she be herself
Plot
Ginia, aged seventeen, experiences the ecstasy and turmoil that characterizes the mysterious journey into adulthood. The meeting with Amelia confronts her with new and shocking emotions.
Bambina innamorata Performed by Gabriele Graham Gascot
It’s frustrating to watch a movie that’s seemingly on a certain trajectory but keeps stumbling along the way to get there. That’s exactly what happens in this coming-of-age/coming-of-age story set in 1938.
Writer-director Laura Lucchetti’s adaptation of Cesare Pavese’s 1949 novel
in Italy. about an impressionable 17-year-old seamstress (Yil Yara Vianello) who falls romantically for an artist’s model (Deva Cassel) takes her own sweet time (and way too long detours) in paving the way to a seemingly foregone conclusion.
As a result, whatever lofty intentions were behind this production’s inception, they are decidedly clouded in the final version
But even as this proposition clearly approaches that destination, it takes another unexpected left turn and subsequently leads to what the director herself admits is a deliberately ambiguous conclusion. Consequently, this is the kind of film that will likely leave many viewers scratching their heads and asking, “What’s the point of all this?” The picture is said to be meant to address a subject that was considered taboo at the time the story was set and the book was written, but that purpose isn’t fulfilled nearly as clearly as it could have been.
Luchetti’s third game really needs a major overhaul to work, because as it stands, it doesn’t
There are also some passing references to the fascist socio-political conditions of the time (elements not included in the source material), but these are never developed much, making their inclusion seem like throwaway afterthoughts. To its credit, "The Beautiful Summer" it has good cinematography, well-chosen location settings that showcase the beauty of Turin, and a stirring soundtrack, but if those qualities are the best that can be said for the film, it doesn’t say much for the picture as a whole.
