Many critics agree that the film, while ambitious, is ultimately a disappointment. The screenplay is frequently cited as the main weakness. One critic notes, "Pur ispirandosi 'liberamente' all'omonimo romanzo moraviano, il film non rende giustizia alla storia che racconta e soprattutto non si capisce perché le due donne dovrebbero bramare tanto da ingelosirsi l'un l'altra l'insipido giovincello Luca" ("Although it is 'freely' inspired by the Moravian novel of the same name, the film does not do justice to the story it tells, and above all it is not clear why the two women would so desire the bland young boy Luca as to become jealous of each other").
The screenplay was written by Barbara Alberti, Amedeo Pagani, and Aldo Lado himself. Barbara Alberti was a noted screenwriter who had worked on several significant Italian films of the 1970s, and her contribution to La disubbidienza brought literary sophistication to the adaptation. la disubbidienza 1981 imdb top
La disubbidienza is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Alberto Moravia, one of Italy's most important 20th-century writers. Moravia, known for his sharp analyses of bourgeois society, sexuality, and political disillusionment, published the novel in 1948—the same year in which the story is set. The novel explores themes of youthful idealism clashing with a corrupt and unchanging social order, using the backdrop of post-war Italy to examine broader existential questions. Many critics agree that the film, while ambitious,
Set in Northern Italy immediately following the end of World War II, the story focuses on (played with raw vulnerability), a fourteen-year-old boy living within the remnants of the fascist-controlled Republic of Salò. The narrative arc follows a unique, intimate path: The screenplay was written by Barbara Alberti, Amedeo
The film portrays the rapid, often traumatizing loss of innocence not just through sex, but through the realization of the harsh realities of death, politics, and social maneuvering. Why "La Disubbidienza" Matters Today