Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Italian film released here as ‘The Secret’ about a ten year-old boy who discovers a secret in a well near his house.  As this is the period in Italy when kidnapping was  common you can imagine what might be involved.  Giuseppe Cristiano is excellent as the kid as many European actors of this age are striking a balance between being photogenic, being real and being able to act.  Aitana Sanchez-Gijon has a rather dull role but is more than welcome as the mother and then there are various characters fleshing out the other parts.  Gabriele Salvatores tells us he story through the eyes of the child and this perspective is consistent throughout.  We don’t get any more information about what is going on than the boy has and little by little we learn what is really happening.  I liked this film a lot although it was slow moving at times.  The photography gives us those typical Italian agricultural scenes in the height of summer that has all the Brits rushing off for their cottage in the hot sun, but the story is really more than that and while it is not that original it is a professional and enjoyable film.

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