La masseria delle allodole

I just returned from the screening of the movie at the Berlinale. I am really impressed and it is really hard to find words to describe my emotions. Probably I'll go to watch it once again tomorrow. But I should say that "La Masseria delle allodole" is the movie that makes you not only think, but also speak and even cry. Think about life, death, love, friendship, human cruelty and speak about history. Like Tavianis have spoken about it. No, I am too emotional. OK, just watch it. And I think you'll feel the same, or may be different, but YOU FEEL. After the presentation one of the actors sad, that he had seen a lot of people crying during the screening. "Crying is not enough, we have to speak" he sad. Speak about Armenian Genoside, Darfour and other tragedies, which some used to keep their mouths closed, or even deny.

10/10. Everyone must see this movie as soon as they can.

I would describe the "La Masseria Delle Allodole" as a very weak film. When I first watched the film, the first idea that came into my mind was that the film was produced by a foreigner not by an Armenian film-maker. The plot is too primitive I would describe it even somehow without logic. You can understand at the very first sight that the film is produced by a person who didn't live the tragedy that he tries to transfer us. The characters are fake.. The character of Nunik the Armenian girl seems to have nothing to do with real Armenian girl, her behavior is disgusting and not adequate. I am very disappointed with this movie. By watching this movie you can't understand what Armenian people in fact passed through. The inhuman tortures of Armenian people, their starvation, cruel deportation from their motherland described in the movie totally correspond to the reality, however the producers weren't able to show the true emotional experience of Armenians. Their real sufferings and feelings are much deeper and tragic. I think you should be an Armenian so that you really describe that pain. Unfortunately I have to say that I didn't like the acting either. It was not persuasive, it was artificial and insincere.

I LOVED the book, but didn't care for the movie at all. It was sitting on my TV for 5 weeks before I had the courage to watch it, and I was very disappointed. I just don't think it truly conveys the horror of the book or what actually happened 90+ years ago. Having read book after book, both fiction and non-fiction, about the Armenian Genocide I hoped for, and expected, a better movie. The acting was awkward, the cinematography was lacking and so much of the book was left out or changed that I doubt I would have been able to keep track of who was who or what was going on if I hadn't read the book (and I read it some 4 years ago.) Having said this, I still think it is worth seeing, if for no other reason than to support a film that no American distributor is willing to touch, and no American filmmaker or studio has the guts to make. See the movie, then PLEASE, PLEASE read the book!