Our cinema review: Vivaldi and me by Daminao Michieletto, the power of classical music

The story

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice collects and trains young orphan girls in music. Hidden from the public, often masked or behind a grille, the orchestra of young girls performs for the wealthy clients of the institution. Cecilia (Tecla Insolia), 20, excels as a violinist. Until the arrival of a new music master, Antonio Vivaldi (Michele Riondino), who comes to disrupt her life and that of the Ospedale…

Our opinion

A must-see opera director in Italy, Damiano Michieletto steps behind the camera for a film about Vivaldi, a native of Venice like himself. As expected, the long musical pieces – not necessarily borrowing from the “Four Seasons” – are the major highlight of this variation that tries to escape the conventional biopic. While the composer’s personality is respected, the focus is on Cecilia, who, in contact with the maestro, will emancipate herself.

This offers the neo-filmmaker an opportunity to focus on the condition of women at the time and to show how much they were hindered, hidden, and subjected. Skillfully avoiding romance or the mentor/student aspect, the relationship between these two characters seeking peace is touching. Similarly, the immersion in the 18th century, whether through the grainy images and costumes, is successful, counteracting a certain classicism in the approach, far from the boldness of Milos Forman’s “Amadeus” at all levels.

DRAMA (France, Italy, 1 hr 51 min). Directed by Damiano Michieletto, starring Tecla Insolia, Michele Riondino, Fabrizia Sacchi. Our rating: 3/5.