No. 43 (2023) AMANDA. June 10th.

 

Film No. 43  (2023)  June 10th.  3:15 PM  CURZON,  Cine 3, Canterbury U.K.

 

"Amanda you are twenty five. You should spend your time with other people" (Amanda's mother explains the reason she asked the maid to no longer respond to Amanda's every need).

NOMINEE: Audience Award (Carolina Cavalli) Venice Film Festival; Directors Award (Carolina Cavalli) Cleveland International Film Festival. WINNER: Best Film (Carolina Cavalli) du Film Italien de Villerupt Awards, 2023.

Sometimes a film comes along that simply refreshes ones senses. AMANDA is one such film; a coming of age social drama highlights this unique script. Benedetta Porcaroli brings an original vibrancy to the lead role. It's her film. And given all of this, AMANDA represents Carolina Cavalli's first feature as a director. A feature film worth seeing.

The story of Amanda, a young lady possessing a personality that has no filter, where her best friend is a black maid who attends to her every need, is promoted as a comedy/drama. I'm of the opinion that there are some comic moments but ultimately it's drama. The fact Porcaroli gives us a young woman with so many issues to navigate, meant there were times that I was concerned for her mental health. It was hard to laugh while considering those themes! But we are always "glass half-full" with Amanda.

As the title suggest, Amanda is our focus. She lives a fragile life. She has no friends. She is rude and takes delight in antagonising her family. More importantly, she is safely home to her entitled life after studying in Paris.  And so begins this coming of age tale as she sets her sights on achieving priorities one and two; rekindling her friendship (school buddy) with Rebecca (Galatea Belluggi) and finding a boyfriend. She's determined to adopt the life of a teenager. A time when she was at her happiest, perhaps!

Cavalli has created a bright, original film here. The script is tight and full of surprises. No one was more surprised than she, in collecting the Jury Prize for best film at the prestigious  du Film Italien de Villerupt awards. But more importantly, her creation, Amanda, is a character who will grow on you. She is attractive, but annoyingly precocious, when first we meet her. By films end she has a radiating beauty with a vulnerable core, the type you would happily build a friendship with. I had a good time with AMANDA.  10GUMS.