Maladolescenza 1977 Pier Giuseppe Murgia Movie Review

Before making his directorial debut with Maladolescenza , Murgia worked for the Italian state broadcaster RAI, collaborating on an investigation into the Italian school system and adolescence. This background in documentary and social inquiry is crucial to understanding Maladolescenza . Rather than a purely exploitative film, Murgia approached it with a verité style, attempting to capture what he saw as an unfiltered, raw portrait of adolescent interactions. He was interested in the "carnal innocence" of youth and how children develop their social and sexual identities, often through barbaric and unkind behaviors.

The movie revolves around the life of a young protagonist, played by Murgia himself, who is struggling to find his place in the world. The story takes place in a small town in Sardinia, where the protagonist is surrounded by the constraints of traditional values and social expectations. As he navigates his relationships with family, friends, and love interests, he begins to question his own identity and sense of belonging. maladolescenza 1977 pier giuseppe murgia movie

In one of the film's most iconic and horrifying scenes, Fabrizio and Sylvia terrorize Laura by wearing terrifying masks and shooting arrows at her as she runs through the forest. They make love in front of her, insisting she watch as her punishment. The film's climax occurs as summer ends. Realizing Laura and Sylvia will soon leave, Fabrizio leads the girls into a cave to escape a storm. He then feigns that they are lost, a cruel game he previously played with Laura. As the darkness deepens, the previously unflappable Sylvia breaks down, sobbing in fear for her mother. In a final, senseless act of brutality and possessiveness, Fabrizio kills one of the girls, ensuring she can never leave him. Before making his directorial debut with Maladolescenza ,

In 2022, a minor online controversy erupted when a clip from the film was mistakenly identified as a "lost scene" from another European film, leading to a new wave of morbid curiosity. Forums like Reddit and 4chan regularly attempt to "hunt" the film, leading to their posts being removed for violating content policies. He was interested in the "carnal innocence" of

Interpretive Approaches