The greatness of Tonadore lies in his excavation of human nature. Only four films have been released in more than 20 years. "Paradise Cinema", "The Pianist at Sea", "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily" and "The Heart of a Hidden Woman". Today in this film he still tells the story of a woman. However, the way of shooting has changed a lot. If you don't see it from the beginning to the end. It's hard to know what the story is about, so it's a Hitchcock-esque thriller.
Ingenious handling of Elena's past memories. Unlike previous films, traditional films like to use gray or black and white shots to express a character's past and memories. But in this film, the director Tonadore used sexual intercourse and violent scenes first, and secondly, he used strong color tones. This is in stark contrast to Elena's real life. The director attempts to use this contrast to express how depraved the past of a hidden woman is. This can't help but give the audience some suspense. Why is the current Irina so different from the past, and why does she always think of her past? And after coming to Italy, why did she use all kinds of methods to be a servant in a wealthy family? Repeated memory fragments bring the audience one suspense after another. What I appreciate is the director's ingenious handling of memory colors.
This is a very sad woman, but we have to say that we have seen the greatness of a mother in the film. 12 years, pregnant with nine children. After escaping from the clutches, Elena did not choose to live a quiet life, but went to Italy to find the child she once gave birth to. The most heartwarming scene in the film is the scene between Irina and the little girl in the film. Elena stubbornly believed that the little girl was the daughter she had given birth to, so she took care of her with 200% of her heart. When the police finally told Yelena regretfully that the DNA showed that the little girl was not her daughter, Yelena got into the quilt and burst into tears. Because she knew that the child was the real reason she insisted on surviving. This can't help but make me think of another film "Dancing in the Darkness", both of which have a very strong human character in the plot of mother's love, which is touching.
Tonadore's films do not deliberately pursue the refinement of the picture, but are sometimes slightly rough, which makes his films full of a realistic impact. On the stairs, the old lady's dialogue with Elena has a strong dramatic element, and the interspersed story between reality and drama makes the film confusing. Really great, remember the master - Tonadore.
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