Malena

Malena is set in the Sicilian town of Castelcuto during the Second World War. A thirteen-year-old boy named Renato Amoroso has two reasons to remember the spring of 1940: he receives his first bicycle at the same moment he first sees Malèna Scordia, the most beautiful woman in town. When her husband is called away to the front and later reported dead, her status as a young widow turns every man in the village toward her while the wives, jealous and resentful, trade gossip and schemes against her. Renato follows her through the streets on his bike, and his fascination deepens into an obsession that shapes how he grows up. The town's prying eyes and whispered judgments make Malèna's daily life increasingly difficult.

Giuseppe Tornatore directed and wrote the screenplay, placing this film between The Legend of 1900 and The Unknown Woman in his filmography. Monica Bellucci plays Malèna, with Giuseppe Sulfaro as Renato; Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana, Pietro Notarianni and Gaetano Aronica appear in supporting roles, part of a credited cast of thirty-one. The film earned a worldwide box office of about 14 million dollars.

On IMDb it holds 7.4 out of 10 from roughly 124,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.6 from 2,831 ratings, while the film critics' score stands at 6.5 out of 10 from 78 reviews, notably lower than the audience reaction.