Malena

Malena
“You can only find your dignity in the place you’ve lost it.”
Malena is a story of love, loyalty and romance. Malena is a Sicilian woman who lived during the Second World War. She may have lived in a chaotic environment but still she remained as a symbol of beauty and fame. She is always talked about in town that no man could dare not to look at her and use her as a figure of their sexual fantasies. One of them was a 12-year old boy named Renato. He was so obsessed with her that wherever she would go he would be there following her. Renato would even dare to defend Malena in his own accord. Renato witnessed and heard some things that he shouldn’t know about Malena including some rumours about her husband’s death and that brought her grave sadness. Such sadness leads to her sexual affinities. Thus, she uses her own body to gain personal benefits. Despite all the criticisms and struggles that she went through, she still remained hopeful the she would regain what she had lost. And she did.
There are a lot of symbolisms found in the movie. The pants worn by the children is a symbol of manhood and maturity. Next is the disk which symbolizes Malena’s feelings for her beloved husband that every time she remembers him, she would play this disk. The peephole symbolizes Renato’s curiosity towards Malena’s life. The peephole is the most repeated symbol all throughout the film. The black dress which Malena wore she heard her husband died symbolizes grief and sadness. Malena’s new hairstyle represents her strong personality towards all criticisms addressed to her.
Malena is a character-driven story because it talks about a certain character who gives meaning to the film. The film is trying to give us an idea as to what lies and assumptions can do to a person with no self respect. The film is also trying to teach us the humanity of a person, such as Renato’s actions which shows us the freedom of a child in his own actions. The film basically is a heart-breaking story about a woman who once lost her dignity but then found it in the one place she truly belonged to.