Malèna is a 2000 Italian drama/romance film starring Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro. It was directed and written by Giuseppe Tornatore from a story by Luciano Vincenzoni.^[1]

Criticised for its depiction of teenage sexuality, as well as the paucity of dialogue, Malèna was relatively successful in Europe, but the movie itself was altered by its North American distribution company Fine Line Features, and several scenes were cut. The film did poorly in few United States movie theatres, despite good reviews. As of 2005, only the edited version is available for commercial purchase on DVD in North America.

The film nonetheless is credited with officially introducing Anglophone audiences to Italian actress Bellucci (whose career had previously been limited to European films), who went on to make a number of high-profile American film appearances.

The score by Ennio Morricone was nominated for an Academy Award.

The film is set in 1940 during World War II just as Italy enters the war. Malena's husband, Nino Scordia, leaves to serve in the military. Malena feels sad and tries to cope with her loss, as the town she has just moved to tries to deal with this beautiful woman who gets the attention and lustful stares of all the local men, including the 12-year-old Renato. However, in spite of the villagers' gossip, she continues to be faithful to her husband. Renato becomes obsessed with Malena and starts fantasizing about her while masturbating.

The silent, distractingly beautiful outsider learns one day that her husband has been killed. Renato continues to watch as she suffers from loneliness and grief. Malena is shunned by the townspeople and the jealous women of the Italian village.

She visits her father, an almost deaf professor of Latin, regularly and helps him with his household chores. When a slanderous letter about her sexual moral reaches his hands, their relationship suffers a catastrophic blow. In the meanwhile, the war worsens. The village is bombed and Malena's father is killed.

She falls on hard times and eventually has no money. The wife of the local dentist takes her to court, but Malena is acquitted. The only man, an army officer, who Malena does have an innocent romance with, is sent away because of the trial.

Malena's poverty finally forces her to succumb to the greed and malice of the town. When the German army comes to town, Malena goes over to Germans as well. Renato sees her in the company of two German officers and faints. His mother and the older ladies of the town think that he has been possessed by the devil and take him to church to exorcise the "demons". His father however understands that he is suffering from sexual hunger and takes him to a brothel; Renato has sex with one of the prostitutes while fantasizing that she is Malena.

When the war ends, the women of the village gather and, out of jealousy and hatred, publicly beat and ridicule Malena. Malena leaves for Messina. A few days later, Nino Scordia returns to town, to the shock of all the residents. He finds his house occupied by people displaced by the war. Renato tells him through an anonymous letter about Malena's whereabouts. Nino goes to Messina to find her. A year later, they return. The villagers, especially the women, astonished at her courage, begin to talk to "Signora Scordia" with respect. In the last scene near the beach, Renato helps her pick up some oranges that had dropped from her shopping bag. Afterwards he wishes her "Buona fortuna (good luck), Signora Malena" and rides off on his bicycle, looking back at her for a final time as she walks away with the retrospective thought that he has never forgotten her, even in his old age.

• Monica Bellucci as Malena Scordia
• Giuseppe Sulfaro as Renato Amoroso
• Luciano Federico as Renato's Father
• Matilde Piana as Renato's Mother

For details, see Malèna (soundtrack).

The United States version of the film was heavily cut due to the portrayal of the young boy fantasizing about performing sexual acts with Malena. One scene in the uncut version of the film has an extended scene of the boy visiting a brothel and going to bed with a prostitute whom he imagines as Malena.

• Malèna at IMDb.

• Review of the UNCUT Korean NTSC release by Noel Megahey at DVD Times (UK), 14-08-2003.