Film Night - Melena

As Italy enters World War II, the Sicilian twelve-year-old boy, Renato, gets his first bicycle, and, above all, sets eyes on the sleepy town's most beautiful woman: Malèna, the statuesque newcomer whose husband is off to war. Desired by every man in town, and, at the same time, despised by their jealous wives, Malèna is now the centre of attention and everyone's favourite subject of an increasingly rancorous gossip. Then, with Malèna's husband presumed killed in action, Renato's starry-eyed infatuation turns into obsession, as the unattainable object of his desire becomes, more and more, a victim of her incomparable beauty. Now, Malèna's fall from grace is inevitable. Will Renato finally get up his nerve to protect his eternal fantasy, Malèna?—Nick Riganas