A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto
Film | Cert: 12A| ★★★✩✩
Reviewed by Linda Marric
Soon to be screened at JW3, this intriguing Italian teen drama delves deep into the fate of Italy’s persecuted Jews during WW2 through the story of one little girl. Directed by prolific actor-turned-director Giulio Base, the film is made up of two different narratives running side by side, one in the past and one in the present time.
When wayward teen Sofia (Bianca Panconi) finds a yellowed photo safely hidden in an old suitcase in her parents’ attic, the young woman is intrigued by the story behind the picture and the letter that accompanies it.
We later find out that the child depicted in the photo had been separated from her parents during a Gestapo raid on the church where the family had been hiding.
Sofia makes it her mission to honour the memory of the young girl, whom she discovers was called Sarah Cohen.
Aided by a group of students from a nearby Jewish high school, Sofia and her new friends become consumed by the mystery of the little girl’s whereabouts.
But first she must overcome objections from concerned parents, including her long-suffering mother.
This is undeniably an ambitious, undertaking from Base, although it has its flaws. Elevated by its youthful energy and a burgeoning story of young love, A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto may not present the most subtle of premises, but does a great job in highlighting the persecution of Italian Jews during the Holocaust.
While the film’s highly predictable denouement feels a little too obvious and perhaps too convenient, there’s still a lot to like about this uneven production despite its wince-inducingly clunky dialogue.
It will have special meaning for anyone whose family history lies in Italy and the horrors of the Holocaust there. It emphasises the need to remember the past.
Elevated by some commendable enthusiastic performances by all involved, this touching story may lack the subtlety of a tight Hollywood screenplay, but one can’t help but succumb to its charms.
