Margherita Vicario's film centers around women musicians at a Church-run establishment in early-1800s Italy.
, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate. And yet, one must also admit that it is at least mildly entertaining piffle, absorbing in the same way that pop videos with lots of dancing and catchy tunes playing in the corner of a quiet bar or a nail salon on a weekday morning are entertaining.
The year is 1800, and the location for most of the film is the Sant’Ignazio Institute, a Church-run establishment that’s a kind of cross between an orphanage, a nunnery and a musical school for young women, not far from Venice. The most powerful person at Sant’Ignazio is the local chapel master Perlina , an imperious conductor and sometime composer who leads the in-house all-female orchestra and choir.
Little does the chapel master realize, but there is abundant talent right here in Sant’Ignazio that he doesn’t even notice because of endemic misogyny. The orchestra’s first violin Lucia composes herself and would love to contribute to the composition process. Perlina, however, ignores her offer of help.
Meanwhile, practically at the bottom of the institute’s pecking order is servant girl Teresa , who has been mute ever since a traumatic incident that is only explained at the end when it becomes dramatically useful. While cleaning the basement one day, Teresa discovers a pianoforte that had been given to Sant’Ignazio by a donor, a gift specifically for the women of the institute. Although no one has ever trained her, Teresa proves to be one of those musical prodigies that only exist in cinema.
The final musical climax in front of the Pope, wherein half the audience digs the ladies’ groovy sound and the other half are scandalized, is deeply silly but fun — as infectious as watching a performing arts school’s final-year show with a cast that all have mild COVID.
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