Malena

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Malena

R

2000

1h 46m

History

Drama

Romance

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Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In 1941, Renato was 13 years old and although the world was at war, nothing ever happened in this sleepy village in Sicily. Until the day he discovered something that would change his life forever... Malna, the beautiful young war widow who was the obsession of every man and the envy of every woman. Because of her, Renato will come to learn all of life's lessons and find himself in places he never could have imagined.

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Critics Consensus

Malena ends up objectifying the character of the movie's title. Also, the young boy's emotional investment with Malena is never convincing, as she doesn't feel like a three-dimensional person.

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Stanley Kauffmann

The New Republic

Jan 8, 2018

A film about Malena herself, her travails, the deep-reaching conclusion, would have been much more interesting and original, but Tornatore is mired in cliches.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Feb 7, 2001

4/4

[Tornatore] eludes sentimentality with a romantic vision wide enough to embrace the range of human experience.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Feb 7, 2001

2/5

Bereft of the more richly textured sentiments of Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jan 22, 2024

5/10

It enjoys a certain Mediterranean beauty on the visual side, but not even the dazzling presence of Monica Bellucci prevents the coming-of-age fable from collapsing down common and boring paths. [Full review in Spanish]

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Mark Steyn

The Spectator

Jan 25, 2018

Malena poses as a bounteously endowed, ripe, curvy Italian mamma, but metaphorically it's an undernourished cadaverous Kate Moss of a movie.

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Feb 15, 2010

3/4

Malna barely speaks a word in the film, but Belucci makes a role that is written as a symbol into a full-blooded person.

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mitchell C.

@mitch89014 Mar 29, 2026

Coming of age film with history involved Much better than most of the American films on the subject of youth and a woman’s choices and situations for survival

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Kent M

@Colcat1 Feb 2, 2026

I was hoping for the genuine Malena. It was all fake and glossy.

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Zac C

@Plurest Jan 26, 2026

I believed only half what they were saying. Waste of time

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Meteor M

@LisaRemote Jan 20, 2026

Dog shit movie. Dog shit subject. Clearly a money laundering scheme.

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Zero T

@RT82260318 Jan 12, 2026

A film of beautiful simplicity. Not made for the American market — viewers in South America, Europe, the Middle East, or Asia may understand it more instinctively. At its center is a silent, enigmatic woman about whom we know almost nothing, yet everyone has something to say. That contradiction is the point, and it’s handled brilliantly. For American audiences, the characters may feel distant or unfamiliar, even difficult to relate to. Malèna asks for a cultural and emotional literacy that goes beyond dialogue or plot. Those with a deep sensitivity to unspoken feelings, social cruelty, and quiet tragedy should give it a try.

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Fernando D

@Maqroll Nov 11, 2025

Simplemente bellisima

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Giuseppe Tornatore

Director

Monica Bellucci

Malèna Scordia

Giuseppe Sulfaro

Renato Amoroso

Luciano Federico

Padre di Renato

Matilde Piana

Madre di Renato

Pietro Notarianni

Professor Bonsignore

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Synopsis

In 1941, Renato was 13 years old and although the world was at war, nothing ever happened in this sleepy village in Sicily. Until the day he discovered something that would change his life forever... Malna, the beautiful young war widow who was the obsession of every man and the envy of every woman. Because of her, Renato will come to learn all of life's lessons and find himself in places he never could have imagined.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Carlo Bernasconi, Harvey Weinstein
Screenwriter: Giuseppe Tornatore
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Tele+, Miramax Films, Medusa Produzione, Pacific Pictures
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, Romance
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.4M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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