LINGERING DAYS // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE MACALUSO SISTERS (LE SORELLE MACALUSO)"
Heartbreaking, powerful and very moving, THE MACALUSO SISTERS (LE SORELLE MACALUSO) is the new film by Emma Dante, based off of her stage play of the same name. It's a story that starts with a much happier beginning than ending and Dante sears at our hearts throughout, painting a vivid and moving picture of life in the face of tragedy. The film follows a group of five sisters: Antonella, Katia, Lia, Maria and Pinuccia. They live together in a Sicilian apartment, orphaned but with an extremely tight bond with each other. They make their way by taking care of a ton of pigeons and loaning them out for events.
One sunny afternoon, they all head together to the beach, frolicking and enjoying the beautiful day together. A day that starts with such innocence and promise turns into a path of mourning, mourning the loss of the youngest sister in a tragic accident. The film plays with time, skipping forward and backwards, to tell the story of the Macaluso Sisters through three acts, and three sets of actors. The childlike innocence of the first act (with the sisters as children) spills into the second act, where we see the sisters in middle age and still living in the apartment. They're much different now, torn and worn down and the ghost of their lost sister still lingers in the air. The third act catapults even father, showing three of the sisters in old age and still in the apartment, lingering in the shadows of broken lives.
The actors in each section are extraordinary and blend beautifully together. In Dante's original play, the actors portrayed several ages on stage so being able to see them actually age in front of us, with different actors playing the sisters in each time period, is heartbreakingly beautiful. The story of the Macaluso sisters is a tragic one, one that's not always an easy watch. However, with the confident direction of the writer herself and some stunning cinematography by Gherardo Gossi, it's an emotional journey well worth taking. It's a confident, brilliantly cast stunning film that's sure to linger with you long after the end of your journey with them.
BASED ON THE PLAY BY Emma Dante SCREENPLAY BY Emma Dante, Giorgio Vasta, Elena Stancanelli DIRECTED BY Emma Dante STARRING Viola Pusateri, Alissa Maria Orlando, Susanna Piraino, Eleonora De Luca, Anita Pomario, Donatella Fioncchiaro, Serena Barone, Simona Malato, Laura Giordani, Maria Rosaria Alati, Rosalba Bologna, Illena Rigano. NOW PLAYING IN SELECT CINEMAS