2023 | 100 min | Historical Drama | Italy | Italian with English subtitles

CAST Leïla Bekhti, Jasmine Trinca, Rafaëlle Sonneville-Caby, Raffaele Esposito

This stunning costume-drama brilliantly entwines her little-known personal story with her significant legacy. We meet her during her early career when her methods were still unorthodox and she struggled with an archaic male-dominated profession. A glamorous (fictionalised) French actress, Lili d’Alengy, flees to Rome to ask Maria to care for her own special-needs child, but Maria has her own difficulties with a child out of wedlock in a society deeply uncomfortable with her brilliance. The unexpected bond between these two women from different worlds will help and inspire Maria Montessori to create an entirely new vision for pedagogy. An exquisitely crafted film with lush cinematography and impeccable acting does justice to such a fascinating story. Jasmine Trinca’s performance is note-perfect, finely balancing lightness and charm with pathos and depth. This film is, at times, truly uplifting and, at other times, deeply moving. A stunning tribute to such an inspirational and compassionate human being.

A work that deserves to be seen, not only for the beauty of its craft but for the importance of its message.

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Grand Jury Prize. Beaujolais Meetings of French-speaking Cinema