Just came out of the free screening and not having read the novel beforehand, I went in fresh into the world of L'Armunita. She is returned back to her biological parents by her adoptive father who is stone-hearted to even bid her a proper goodbye. Not knowing why this is happening with the sole information of her mother (adoptive) being sick, the little girl has to battle all her fears with a new family whom she is unaware of. It is her younger sister Adriana who is the only welcoming member of the new family.
It is indeed a slow burner, the sense of abandonment, the fear of not belonging in the new family, the dark incestuous turn it takes suddenly and the tragedy that follows. The screenplay does pack a lot for a 13 year old to bear and is also tough for the audience too. Firmly aided by the imagery that leave a strong impression, her new world / family is well established. Coming from the rich to now thrown into a poor family, the struggles are captured as well as emoted well.
I did wish for the film to have had a crisper runtime as it did tend to drag itself in the third act but for the reveal, this felt important. But the longer wait to know why exactly this girl was returned, does add on to the runtime and honestly, it was Adriana's presence that made the final act worth it than the titular character. It was my first ever Italian film on the big screen and I would definitely cherish it.
