Lost Kisses
Strange would probably be an understatement in describing Lost Kisses (I baci mai dati), despite its straight forward narrative, the film itself is a mystery. Is it about religion, is it about faith, is about mother/daughter relationships? Well it kind of is about all of those things, and then some.
Taking place in a small town outside of Sicily, a 13-year-old girl Manuela (Carla Marchese) sparks a light when she solves the mystery of the statue whose head had been removed. People are quick to judge and call it a miracle, before long she becomes famous and everyone wants their own miracle. Can Manuela perform miracles? Well for that, you’ll just have to watch the film to find out.
Writer/director Roberta Torre has crafted a film that takes ideas of both anti and pro religion, and mixes them together. The film is quite quirky, vibrant in its colour and characters. Amongst everything, and all the insanity is Manuela, who just gets lost between every thing going on. Whether she intended to become this local celebrity or not, she is the centre of attention, unwillingly so too. The question remains throughout, whether Manuela did hear from the Madonna (the Virgin Mary) or whether it was a cry for attention from her own attention-seeking mother.
The script itself is actually rather clever and very well written; the characters are memorable and funny. Each portrayed quite wonderfully by the cast, especially Carla Marchese and Donatella Finocchiaro who plays her mother. The film is there to challenge the viewer, with symbolism and fore shadowing of events being quite apparent. Whether they will get picked up on by everyone really relies on the audience, and how they interpret it. At times parts of the story and pacing slowed down a got a little lost, but the last 15 minutes or so really picked up and got back on track.
I think where the faults lay and perhaps why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I really wanted to is the style of it all. The quick cuts were especially unnecessary and came off as amateurish. I might have forgiven the editing for a first timer, but Torre is a seasoned professional and should really know better. The way the film was shot was mostly pretty good, with the cinematography being quite beautiful. It just felt over stylized and I think that ultimately took away from the film as a whole.
The film focuses on the needy in a community, the desperation that everyone feels because there is something in their lives they want to change. It is easy to place all your faith in one person or one event, and it is cleverly shown. Yes I think some shots are taken at the Church, but they weren’t all too apparent and I think it is there to challenge thought rather than to insult.
Lost Kisses is a mixed bag for me, the good out weigh the negative, and it was an interesting little film. The ending will certainly divide audiences, I do think it isn’t a literal event and more symbolic than anything else.
Rating
Italian Trailer for I Baci Mai Dati
The Super Network 