Others here have described the plot of A WHISPER IN THE DARK; my few comments focus on the film's disappointing, unimaginative finale.
For nearly two hours, A WHISPER IN THE DARK sets its audience up to believe it is watching an old-school ghost story that is leading up to a definitive (perhaps revelatory) finish. However, in the film's last moments, the audience is blue-balled by a dissatisfying, ambiguous finale that seems to expose a clear lack of imagination on the parts of director Aliprandi and screenwriters Rienzi. This is one of those endings that will leave most asking "Are you kidding me? That's it?!!!"
The primary question raised again and again in the film -- does Luca exist, or is he only a figment of Martino's imagination -- seems to be answered in three particular scenes in the film. A soccer ball kicked by Martino is stopped by an unseen force Martino names as being Luca; a blindfolded Camilla senses an unseen presence kissing her in full sight of several witnesses; and little Matilde seemingly sees and speaks to an unseen Luca who entices her to fall from a balcony. Still, even with what appears to be convincing evidence of Luca's existence, the final scene around the family breakfast table seems to forget much of what the audience has already seen, showing the family apparently accepting Luca's ghost (whether imagined by Martino or as a "real" ghost) as an unavoidable fixture in their lives after all of those same characters have spent the rest of the movie expressing views and opinions quite to the contrary. I can only assume Aliprandi and the Rienzis never had any clear idea of where they were going with the story and tacked on a slapdash ending just to be done with it.
I would have liked to recommend this film because the acting is good and the story is interesting, but the disappointing way the filmmakers chose to wrap up the story puts too much of a damper on the overall enjoyment. That being the case, I'd actually recommend that viewers skip this one entirely.
For nearly two hours, A WHISPER IN THE DARK sets its audience up to believe it is watching an old-school ghost story that is leading up to a definitive (perhaps revelatory) finish. However, in the film's last moments, the audience is blue-balled by a dissatisfying, ambiguous finale that seems to expose a clear lack of imagination on the parts of director Aliprandi and screenwriters Rienzi. This is one of those endings that will leave most asking "Are you kidding me? That's it?!!!"
The primary question raised again and again in the film -- does Luca exist, or is he only a figment of Martino's imagination -- seems to be answered in three particular scenes in the film. A soccer ball kicked by Martino is stopped by an unseen force Martino names as being Luca; a blindfolded Camilla senses an unseen presence kissing her in full sight of several witnesses; and little Matilde seemingly sees and speaks to an unseen Luca who entices her to fall from a balcony. Still, even with what appears to be convincing evidence of Luca's existence, the final scene around the family breakfast table seems to forget much of what the audience has already seen, showing the family apparently accepting Luca's ghost (whether imagined by Martino or as a "real" ghost) as an unavoidable fixture in their lives after all of those same characters have spent the rest of the movie expressing views and opinions quite to the contrary. I can only assume Aliprandi and the Rienzis never had any clear idea of where they were going with the story and tacked on a slapdash ending just to be done with it.
I would have liked to recommend this film because the acting is good and the story is interesting, but the disappointing way the filmmakers chose to wrap up the story puts too much of a damper on the overall enjoyment. That being the case, I'd actually recommend that viewers skip this one entirely.