Maléna is a wonderfully crafted, mature and subtle tale of dedication, passion and true realization of beauty. The fantastic story revolves around the teenage boy Renato, ever on his bicycle, who falls in a rather platonic love with the town's beauty Maléna. I use the word

platonic' because I felt Renato's passions towards Maléna's outstanding sexual beauty were mostly of profound appreciation, not just his own voluntary arousal of his sexuality, though the film has many scenes of his musterbation. And all these happens when Italy went to the World War.

Expressions of the War came in every aspect of the film, even in Renato's feelings towards Malena or the hatred towards those men who wanted her. Guiseppe Sulfaro did an outstanding job in this extremely demanding role. My hats off to him. The goddess-like Monica Bellucci rarely looks up or speaks in this film. Besides providing the audience the guilty pleasures, she did a wonderful job in creating the aura of sadness and melancholy around her character. I considered hers is a fine piece of acting.