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Sicilian Ghost Story

Play trailer 1:26 Poster for Sicilian Ghost Story 2018 2h 0m Fantasy Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
After the boy she loves vanishes, a teenage girl ventures into the forest to search for him.
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Sicilian Ghost Story

Sicilian Ghost Story

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Critics Consensus

Sicilian Ghost Story uses a horrific real-life story as the framework for a powerfully acted foray into surprisingly beguiling fantasy territory.

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Critics Reviews

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Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times 12/13/2018
Although the story can feel chilly and oblique, it gets under your skin. Go to Full Review
Michael Sragow Film Comment Magazine 11/30/2018
It is by far the best trip the recent cinema has taken 'into the woods.' Go to Full Review
Ella Taylor NPR 11/29/2018
[An] intensely atmospheric melodrama... Go to Full Review
Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media 08/12/2019
2/5
Fact-based tale about Mafia kidnapping; violence, language. Go to Full Review
David Brake One Room With A View 02/11/2019
4/5
Meandering, yes, but a deeply intriguing and interesting take on the demise of youth, the hope of love and power of poetry. Go to Full Review
Robert Denerstein Denerstein Unleashed 01/17/2019
This ghost story makes no attempt to scare us with cheap shocks. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Melissa L 03/26/2024 Excellent but sad. What's ever sadder is that this is a true story. See more Daniel G 05/13/2023 This is possibly a bit of a spoiler, but I think not, looking at the consensus text by the critics. Considering the real-life tragical story, the dreamlike sequences, which seemed almost like an alternative timeline, possibly translated better what teens would try to use to overcome the truly impactful events in life. Some quiet, dark scenes made sense to the director and whoever was on the same vibe, but to me ended up being wasted time. The truth was harsh nevertheless. Movie that won't be easily forgotten. See more isla s 09/04/2022 This film didn't really work for me. What I mean is, it was relatively atmospheric, quite quriky and there was a somewhat nice sense of atmosphere but I couldn't quite get my head around what was going on in the plot. I usually quite like films that are a bit sombre and quiet, thoughtful etc. but this film seemed a bit overly padded, time wise and I felt not too sure quite what was going on. It just didn't quite work for me and yet it looks, at times, really quite good and I felt like I should be following it more than I did. Its good on one level but it doesn't work on another, so overall I can't really recommend it as such, no - it needs more substance to really work well, I feel. See more 10/31/2020 Dedicated to Giuseppe Di Matteo, who was strangled and dissolved in acid by the Sicilian mafia (may the Devil take their souls) after being held captive for 779 days in an effort to stop his father from talking to prosecutors, this is a film that follows the efforts, led by a series a prophetic dreams, of one classmate to find the kidnapped boy. Beautifully filmed and performed, this film will leave a mark on your soul. See more 12/19/2019 In a small Sicilian village a 13 year boy disappears, his best friend refuses to stop looking for him, despite the code of silence that has swept over the village and her being turned away at every point of inquiry. She continues her search even with the sinister threats building against her. To reveal anymore would reveal spoilers. Any how, I heard this described as a dark fairy tale, the kind of story that might have previously attracted the attention of the like of Guillermo Del Toro and this is what attracted me to it, being a fan of the likes of Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water which I would class very much as dark fantasy. This however, it just didn't grab me. I found it to be an incredibly slow movie and a film that seemed to be on a lot longer than it was. All of the central players were decent enough but it took too long to get to any major plot development. It's a shame because this had potential. See more dave d 12/02/2019 I liked, the bonkers 'Sicilian Ghost Story' until I didn't, but it's majestically filmed despite the ending. If there ever was a movie, "based on a true story" this is it. The outer edges are real, but holy moly do the directors take some poetic license to tell said tale. Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, who also co-wrote the feature, weave a Romeo and Juliet type tale, but it goes completely off the rails as neither could muster a finish worthy of the story. It's in the title so this isn't a spoiler, but come on, do we really need a ghost? It's hard to follow towards the end as we try to discern what's real and not, but it's safe to say that if you're memorializing someone the last scene doesn't work. I need to feel the love between our two brilliant young actors: Julia Jedlikowska and Gaetano Fernandez. Together they make magic on the screen. Everyone else and there are lots of supporting players do NOTHING to help the film. The characters aren't fleshed out and there are a couple interesting ones who basically show up then leave. I was in 10 territory for about 2/3 of the film. It's completely engrossing, and then poof. It's a final act that made me sad, but not in the way the filmmakers intended. Overall, I'm giving this the softest recommendation possible, but beware you may be frustrated. Final Score: 6.5/10 See more Read all reviews
Sicilian Ghost Story

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Movie Info

Synopsis After the boy she loves vanishes, a teenage girl ventures into the forest to search for him.
Director
Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Screenwriter
Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Production Co
JPG Films, MACT Productions, RAI Cinema, Strand Releasing
Genre
Fantasy, Romance
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 30, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 26, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.4K
Runtime
2h 0m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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