FIGLIA MIA/ DAUGHTER OF MINE
Italy, 2018, 105 minutes, Colour.
Valeria Golino, Alba Rohrwacher, Sara Casu, Udo Keir, Michele Carbone.
Directed by Laura Bispuri.
This is a slice of Italian life. It is set on the island of Sardegna, in a close community.
The film focuses on a girl, about to turn 10, played convincingly by Sara Casu. She wanders to a fair, watches the riders in a rodeo, comes across a couple copulating and runs away. She does not look particularly Italian, especially with her reddish hair.
It emerges that her birth mother, played by Alba Rohrwacher (who has reddish hair), has given her away to her sister, played by Valeria Golino. The little girl does not know her birth mother. Her adoptive mother, along with her very gentle and devoted husband, has been a carer for the girl for 10 years.
The birth mother is a kind of party girl, always out and around, drinker, promiscuous. However, she does own some horses to one. But the authorities are demanding money from her and she has dilemmas about whether to sell the horses, to move away. She decides that she would like to have some time with her daughter. Her sister agrees, somewhat reluctantly.
The surprise is that the little girl is fascinated by her actual mother, supportive of her, travelling around with her, criticising her adoptive mother. She even misses out on the 10th birthday party that her adoptive mother has arranged for her and invited all their friends.
A climax comes when the birth mother asks her daughter to go down a hole in the necropolis where there is some alleged treasure. The little girl is at first reluctant because the hole is so narrow but eventually goes back and goes down. Her adoptive mother is alarmed by her absence and goes anxiously searching. In fact, the little girl is quite enterprising does get out of the hole.
Eventually, there has to be a facing of the facts interfacing of the future for the absent mother, the adoptive parents and for the little girl herself.
The film was directed by Laura Bispuri who made quite an impact with her previous film about gender questions, Sworn Virgin.
1. The title? Mother and daughter? Mothers and daughter?
2. The setting on the island of Sardinia? The town, the rodeo, the shops, the fair? The countryside? The necropolis? The musical score?
3. The story of Vittoria? Turning 10? The background of her birth mother, not knowing? Her adoptive mother and father? Their care for her, contrasting with her birth mother and her negligence, not wanting to bring up the child? Giving it to her sister? Meeting Angelica? Intrigued by her, the horses, the sexual encounters, going to the house, Tina taking her there, leaving her there? Her going on her own, love for the horses, Angelica and her drinking, irresponsibility, dirty house? Yet making the breakfast? Vittoria and the antagonism towards Tina? Attacking her? Yet wanting to phone her? Her ignoring her birthday party? Angelica wanting her to go down the hole to find treasure, small, breathing in, refusing, returning, achieving it, getting out? Tina searching for her? The two mothers finding her? Her attitudes towards them in the future?
4. Tina, the older sister, her patient and kind husband, caring for Vittoria, her 10th birthday, preparing the cake and party, the years of being mother, taking her to see Angelica, her disgust for Angelica, Angelica being evicted, needing the money, Tina not having it? Taking Vittoria to see her true mother, experiencing the daughter’s alienation? Telling her off? The birthday party, her grief, the whole, the search, the reconciliation?
5. Angelica, irresponsible, partying, pregnant, giving away her daughter, training the horses, her skills, the dealings with the neighbour and selling the horses, taking the money back from him, his threats? Going into town, in the bar, the bartender and his wife, the liaisons with Franco, Vittoria interrupting and his pushing her away? The continued drinking, the slovenly house, being evicted, her collapse, wanting Vittoria to go down the hole and find the treasure? Vittoria dragging her away, Tina finding her?
6. The neighbour, the horses, the difficulties with money? The man buying the horses?
7. The background of the town, Italian customs, families, relationships, mothers and daughter?
