Calling this film a giallo is a bit of a stretch, but what we do have here is an early murder mystery from Damiano Damiani. Kind of like a dry run for Damiani's later The Most Beautiful Wife, it involves a young teenage girl suddenly thrown into the complex world of adults and the law.
Silvana is the girl in question, secretly in love with much older neighbour Gino, who is oblivious until Silvana's friends reveal it to Gino in the street. Another neighbour, a prostitute, is beaten to death in her home and the police descend on the place, arresting a deliveryman in the ensuing media frenzy. Gino tells the police that he's never seen the prostitute before, but then if that's the case why does Silvana tell Gino she saw him leaving her flat a few days previous? Gino, all of sudden, takes an interest in Silvana, which is bit dodgy as he's due to get married, and she's only thirteen.
Apart from the mystery of who killed the prostitute, the plot mainly focuses on the relationship between Gino and Silvana. Gino has to act interested in Silvana to stop her going to the police while hiding it from his fiance, and we know that Silvana is prone to making stuff up, so is Gino guilty or just trying to cover up his visits to a hooker. Even the cops are divided as some side with Silvana and some think she's at it.
In The Most Beautiful Wife, we knew Ornella Muti was in the right but here we're not quite sure of Silvana. The films are similar as unrequited, naive love results in clashes with police, parents and family. It the personal side of these characters that makes the film stand out. Even Silvana's friends turn against her, and her mother is having an affair with a married man and is willing to throw Silvana in a boarding school to be with him.
Damiani had tons of talen and even when a film of his doesn't quite work (like the Witch In Love), every one of them stands out from the pack.
