Maléna is a wonderfully crafted, mature and subtle tale of dedication, passion and true realization of beauty. The fantastic story revolves around the teenage boy Renato, ever on his bicycle, who falls in a rather platonic love with the town's beauty Maléna. I use the word 'platonic' because I felt Renato's passions towards Maléna's outstanding sexual beauty were mostly of profound appreciation, not just his own voluntary arousal of his sexuality, though the film has many scenes of his musterbation. And all these happens when Italy went to the World War.

Expressions of the War came in every aspect of the film, even in Renato's feelings towards Malena or the hatred towards those men who wanted her. Guiseppe Sulfaro did an outstanding job in this extremely demanding role. My hats off to him. The goddess-like Monica Bellucci rarely looks up or speaks in this film. Besides providing the audience the guilty pleasures, she did a wonderful job in creating the aura of sadness and melancholy around her character. I considered hers is a fine piece of acting.

Sicily, 1940. A teenage boy (Giuseppe Sulfaro) is initiated into manhood when his friends introduce him to the glories of Malena (Monica Belluci), the most beautiful woman in town. Sulfaro becomes obsessed, following her wherever she goes on his bike, and he even spies on her in her home. His obsession is not the only one, as much as he wishes and wants to believe it were - the whole town worships her. Every man wants to have her, and every woman is deeply jealous of that fact. And, man, does that make life hard for Malena - her husband is fighting the war in Africa, and the rumors are flying, making life nearly impossible. Sulfaro might see her as a sex object initially, but the more he observes the more he sympathizes. This film begins as an enjoyable comedy, but it grows deeply serious. The climax is one of the harshest, most potent sequences I've seen in a long while. One will recognize the nostalgic tone of the movie if you're familiar with Cinema Paradiso, but I think this is actually a stronger film. Excellent.

In a way, "Malena" kept reminding us of a famous photograph by Ruth Orkin, in which a young American woman is seen walking alone in an Italian street where there must be at least twenty men ogling this beautiful beautiful creature in different degrees of desire, shouting things about what they would love to do with her.

In Giuseppe Tornatore's "Malena", the young woman at the center of the story, suffers that kind of sexual predatory practice from all the men in the little town in Sicily where she lives. It appears Italian men, then, as well as now, can express anything at all, especially for their big friends' benefit, their opinions of how they feel about a woman. Even the town's ladies have no qualms in shouting nasty things as Malena passes them by.

If you haven't seen the film, perhaps you would like to stop reading.

The film takes place during the last days of WWII. Malena's husband has gone to war, but he never returns. She is left to fend for herself under the most extreme circumstances. In order to make ends meet, all the men in town offer Malena anything so they can get favors from her in return.

Watching all this is Renato, a young man who has reached puberty and is completely taken by Malena's beauty. Renato follows this woman all over the town. Whenever Malena is coming into view, Renato abandons his bicycle and makes a point to pass near this gorgeous creature almost breathing her aura.

A lot of people in this forum have expressed their views in making "Malena" a coming of age film. But contrary to what they might take, Mr. Tornatore, its director, like most film makers in Europe are influenced by the politics and the history of their country. In here, it appears that Malena stands for the way Italy was manipulated by Mussolini in transforming the country into a fascist paradise. Also Malena, like Italy, is turned into a prostitute in the eyes of many Italians, who watched their beloved country invaded by the Germans, who were supposed to be their allies.

"Malena" is a film that is blessed by the presence of that amazingly beautiful actress Monica Belucci. Ms. Belucci is perfect for the title role and runs away with the film. In one of the most hear wrenching scenes in this movie, we watch in horror as the other women in town have their revenge in punishing Malena for what they perceive are her sins and her collaboration with the enemy.

Young Giuseppe Sulfaro is seen as the appealing Renato Amoroso, the young man awakening to his own sexuality. He lives just to spy on the woman that has captured his imagination, and even in his solitary gratification she plays a large role in his vivid imagination.

"Malena" owes a lot to Giuseppe Tornatore for what he has been able to accomplish.