Film Review: The Macaluso Sisters
The Macaluso Sisters - Poster
THE MACALUSO SISTERS (2021) DIR. EMMA DANTE
Written by Belle McIntyre
Based on Emma Dante’s 2014 stage play of the same name, we find ourselves in Palermo, Sicily, in an affectionate, unruly family of five sisters – aged between 5 and 19 years old. We learn that they are orphaned, but we don’t have details.They have managed to continue living in their sprawling, somewhat decrepit top floor apartment with a built-out dovecote on the roof and a large flock of pigeons, which provide the income for the girls. A popular custom in Italy for celebrations like weddings, baptisms and funerals, is the release of white doves. The girls share the responsibilities for the care of the birds, who seem to be free-ranging, and are often roaming around the apartment where they are treated like pets. The landlord and other tenants are none too pleased, but can’t seem to do much about it.
The Macaluso Sisters - Film Still
The film opens as the girls are planning an outing at the beach. There are some surreal moments as they find themselves in the middle of what appears to be an unexpected model of Jurassic Park on their way to the train to get to the beach. The sisters’ relationships with each other are boisterous, and unrestrained and their personalities are wide-ranging. The youngest girl, Antonella (Viola Pusateri) is completely adorable, while Maria (Simona Malato), the eldest, wants to become a dancer. As soon as they arrive at the beach Maria leads her sisters in some sort of wet t-shirt conga line which is joined lots of other kids on the beach. It is sunny and joyful. And then a terrible accident occurred and the joy is drained out. We are not privy to what has happened except and drabs of information which leak out.
The film continues following the sisters for the next 70 years with an ensemble of 12 actresses who took on the roles of the sisters as time passes. The ensemble was nominated for best actor at the Venice Film Festival. Kudos to Emma Dante for choosing to cast new actors to enact the roles of the aging sisters instead of relying on special effects. It takes a bit of getting used to, and the film is short on exposition and probably had a minimal budget. It feels like a a Dogme 95 sort of aesthetic. The camera tracks the characters closely and lingers long on intimate scenes in bathtubs, applying makeup, and eating. There are beautiful scenes of the pigeons fleeing the coop. It strikes me as ripe for serialization, like the “Durrells in Corfu”. Ninety minutes is not enough time to know these earthy and amazing women.
