Do yourselves a favor: don't watch the movie and read the book instead.
I read the book a couple of years ago, which I liked a lot. I was curious to see the movie rendition, even though I had a bad feeling: the IMDb score was kind of a red flag.
I have quite a few problems with the movie:
1) It changed several aspects of the book, some of which are fundamental. Above all, the ending. In the movie conveys a very different (and more crowd pleasing) message, which contradicts the essence of the title.
2) It does not propose a linear development of the story, making up a bunch of flashbacks and previews, which I found very confusing. Figuring out what happened to the main characters, and their families, will prove even more challenging for a person that hasn't read the book.
3) It does not develop some major themes, such as Alice's mother passing away, or the intense, deep and unique bond that the two outcasts (Mattia and Alice) share is just touched upon, to name a few.
4) The soundtrack is simply terrible. Apparently, it was taken from another movie, possibly to pay tribute to (emulate?) Tarantino. It's way too much "in your face". It does not complement the movie, being too invasive and too "loud".
5) The horror interpretation might be original and bold. However, sometimes by being bold things can go horribly wrong. Which I think was the case here. With the horror approach, one can be partially insulated from the tragedies and the emotional nightmares that the main characters face and go through. Maybe this was a way to decrease the high expectations that were surrounding this production, as the book was a best-seller in Italy.
The culprit of this failed attempt must be the director, as most actors do a fine job. Alba Rohrwacher delivers (as usual) a great performance. And I did like the mean Viola played by Aurora Ruffino. Filippo Timi, instead, overdoes it in a small cameo.
I really hope my memory will be able to erase the scenes that I've just seen (a-la "spotless mind"...), restoring what my imagination came up with while reading the excellent book.
I read the book a couple of years ago, which I liked a lot. I was curious to see the movie rendition, even though I had a bad feeling: the IMDb score was kind of a red flag.
I have quite a few problems with the movie:
1) It changed several aspects of the book, some of which are fundamental. Above all, the ending. In the movie conveys a very different (and more crowd pleasing) message, which contradicts the essence of the title.
2) It does not propose a linear development of the story, making up a bunch of flashbacks and previews, which I found very confusing. Figuring out what happened to the main characters, and their families, will prove even more challenging for a person that hasn't read the book.
3) It does not develop some major themes, such as Alice's mother passing away, or the intense, deep and unique bond that the two outcasts (Mattia and Alice) share is just touched upon, to name a few.
4) The soundtrack is simply terrible. Apparently, it was taken from another movie, possibly to pay tribute to (emulate?) Tarantino. It's way too much "in your face". It does not complement the movie, being too invasive and too "loud".
5) The horror interpretation might be original and bold. However, sometimes by being bold things can go horribly wrong. Which I think was the case here. With the horror approach, one can be partially insulated from the tragedies and the emotional nightmares that the main characters face and go through. Maybe this was a way to decrease the high expectations that were surrounding this production, as the book was a best-seller in Italy.
The culprit of this failed attempt must be the director, as most actors do a fine job. Alba Rohrwacher delivers (as usual) a great performance. And I did like the mean Viola played by Aurora Ruffino. Filippo Timi, instead, overdoes it in a small cameo.
I really hope my memory will be able to erase the scenes that I've just seen (a-la "spotless mind"...), restoring what my imagination came up with while reading the excellent book.