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Reviews
L'Arminuta (2021)
Gorgeous film but contrived plot
"L'Arminuta" is a difficult film to evaluate. The cinematography is beautiful (contrasting town and countryside in 1970s Italy) and the direction self-assured. And yet the circumstances strain credulity.
Two very different sets of parents -- one adoptive, one biological -- each withhold even the slightest sign of affection from their 13-year-old daughter (though both mothers are shown to be emotionally bonded with other of their children). This girl, darling and (initially) well-behaved, is utterly frozen out, even by the mother and father who raised her and once cared about her. The cruelty advances the storyline and pulls at viewers' heartstrings yet never feels credible.
I found the film to be well worth watching, despite this central flaw.