The fictional movie also known as The Miracle Child, takes place in Rione Sanitá district, Naples, Italy. Lino (Francesco Pelegrino) is a delivery boy, and Mario (Vincenzo Antonucci) is a motorcycle mechanic, both are young, handsome, very close friends, play soccer, and are looking for new experiences to escape the monotony of their daily lives. Lino lives with his depressed mother Perla (Pina di Gennaro), and his radiant younger sister Annaluce (Sophia Guastaferro) and has difficulties paying the rent.
In the first scene, we see a priest and a procession of the Holly Virgin Mary, and a dove flies around and suddenly crashes with the image of the Madonna and falls lifeless. Annaluce takes the bird in her hands and it flies again, a sign of the gift of life and healing the girl has and develops after the constant visits and demands of the neighbors that consider her the patron saint of the district.
The movie mixes the sacred and the profane in surprising ways. Acting is precise and fits like a globe with the ambiguous situations that we see. The film was made in pandemic times although there is no reference to it, on the contrary, there is a sense of intimacy, of closeness, underlined in some erotic scenes, where desires and needs confront each other. (It is said in a production statement that all precautions against Covid-19 were taken during filming).
The directorial debut of Silvia Brunelli is a promising one, she has made short films previously. The bittersweet screenplay written by Ms. Brunelli and Francesca Scanu is inspired by a story by Vincenzo Restivo. The movie has been supported by Biennale College Cinema.
Very enjoyable
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of
El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and
eager to live the experience.
Labels: 2022, Blessed Boys, drama, José Mayorga, review, Silvia Brunelli
