Big mouth strikes
By Miranda Inganni
Inspired by the true story of Rita Atria, The Sicilian Girl (La Siciliana Ribelle), is a fictional telling of an extraordinary tale. Breaking the code of Cosa Nostra conduce, Rita (Veronica D’Agostino) chooses to avenge the murder of her family members by telling all to the authorities.
Growing up in a small town in Sicily, Rita is coddled and adored by her father (Marcello Mazzarella), but doesn’t receive the same positive attention from her monstrous mother (Lucia Sardo). After witnessing her father’s murder by a rival mob boss, Rita turns to her older brother (Carmelo Galati) for guidance, but he soon meets a cruel fate, too.
Only 17, Rita is more of a rebellious and determined young woman (as the Italian title states) than a girl. Despite keeping her father’s pistol, Rita is not powerful enough to take assassinating action; instead she keeps copious notes and journals on the activities of various mob families. When her mother throws her out of the house, Rita heads off to find the chief anti-mafia judge, Paolo Borsellino (Gérard Jugnot), whom she had encountered once as a young girl. She soon finds herself in a safe house with constant police protection and growing affection for the avuncular judge.
Sadly, the strong hand of the mafia has a wide reach and Rita is all alone in her world.
Directed (and co-written) by Marco Amenta, The Sicilian Girl unfortunately doesn’t do justice to the true story. On its own, however, the movie does its best to show the struggle of one person against her entire community and, indeed, a way of life that even her mother firmly supports. Despite strong performances by D’Agostino and Jugnot, the film is wrought with too many fade-in and outs along with Luca Bigazzi's cinematography, which tries too hard to be both pastoral and gritty. Nonetheless, the story of Rita is one of dedication and sacrifice and it is no wonder that the real Rita Atria is admired by many.
