IL LADRO DI BAMBINI
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Date Released: Varies Running Length: 1:55 Rated: NR (Mature themes)
Starring: Enrico Lo Verso, Valentina Scalici, Giuseppe Ieracitano, Florence Darel, Marina Golovine Director: Gianni Amelio Producer: Angelo Rizzoli Screenplay: Gianni Amelio, Sandro Petraglia, and Stefano Rulli Music: Franco Piersanti Released by Samuel Goldwyn Co. Italian with English Subtitles
Luciano (Giuseppe Ieracitano), a nine year old boy, and his eleven year old sister Rosetta (Valentina Scalici) live in a single-parent family with their mother. To supplement her meager income, the mother sells Rosetta into prostitution. When the police find out about this, they come and take the mother off to jail, leaving Luciano and Rosetta without a home or a family. Antonio (Enrico Lo Verso), a young carabiniere officer, is charged with escorting the two children to a children's home. However, upon arrival, he discovers that the children will not be admitted because of Rosetta's dubious past.
In the simplest terms, it's possible to boil IL LADRO DI BAMBINI to an unusual "buddy film." The children and Antonio are initially apathetic to each other, but, as the movie progresses, a bond gradually forms. Such a distillation, however, does this movie a great injustice. Writer/director Gianni Amelio has successfully taken the skeleton of a common story and infused it with a unique freshness rarely found in movies of this sort.
While the plot is not filled with novel twists, it is remarkable because of a genuine insight into the human condition. Also, there is no pat ending. The film concludes when its story has been told, not when all the loose ends are neatly wrapped up.
Perhaps the only serious complaint I have about IL LADRO DI BAMBINI is its pacing. The first half of the movie is on the slow side as it introduces the characters and establishes the relationships between them. While I recognize the necessity of doing these things, less time could have been expended to achieve the same ends. There is no emotional tension in this portion of the movie since the relationships are still in fledgling form.
The second half of IL LADRO DI BAMBINI is powerful. This movie is without parallel when it comes to the "show, don't tell" rule. There are scenes that approach masterpiece level in the depth of emotion they are able to convey without resorting to explanatory dialogue. The audience can feel the impact of what is happening, even though little of significance appears to be transpiring on screen.
The profound effect that the children and Antonio have on each other is developed slowly. There is no sudden shift in perspectives. Instead, the relationships are allowed to develop naturally. As a result, simple things have greater impact, and small acts of friendship and affection are heart- warming.
This is the debut feature for Giuseppe Ieracitano and Valentina Scalici. While Ieracitano is certainly competent in his role, he - and everyone else in the cast - is vastly overshadowed by Scalici. Without exaggerating, I can say that this is the best performance I have ever seen by a child actor. Scalici has a style that would make most adult performers drool with envy. She is a master of dialogue, body language, and facial expressions. It's a pity that her exposure outside of Italy will be so limited.
IL LADRO DI BAMBINI is proof that a relatively simple, uncomplicated story can be the basis of a vital movie. So much is accomplished in this film that it's impossible for a review to do it justice. Most of what happens transpires through minor action, so those who have trouble sitting through "character stories" may find this film tedious. That's too bad, because this is easily one of the most provacative, emotionally-stirring films to come along in quite a while.
Rating: 9.3 (A, ***1/2)
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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