Reviews

Well done coming of age story. The director did a wonderful job of filtering the story through the eyes of the narrator as he bears witness to the life of Malena and comes of age. Beautifully shot film. Not as glossy as Cinema Paradiso. Gritty and realistic.

The men's lust, women's jealousy, the war, and her "widowhood", are all ingredients that actively work against Malena and force her to become the woman that the community imagines her to be.

I had the opportunity to see this film and Peter Wintonick, the director, at the Harvard Film Archives. This was a wonderfully informative documentary about cinema verite filmmakers. The only frustration was that every time a new subject/filmmaker was introduced I wanted to see a two hour documentary on that person and their work. The clips made me want to run to the the video store and rent copies of everything done by these individuals. Highlights included Richard Leacock interview and also the discussion of the making of Primary. A must see for anyone interested in documentary filmmaking and cinema verite.