Le pupille

Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "This captivating and surprisingly suspenseful film shares with Rohrwacher's other work a wry sense of humor and a deep understanding of how people can be horribly evil, sometimes in the name of truth."

I'm leaving him a bit here because the tone created in the movie is definitely not original.

Firstly; Alfonso Cuaron is in the producer's chair of the movie, and the movie is almost a copy of A Little Princess, a re-make of Cuaron's 1995 movie.

Come on, I understand that those who haven't seen that movie can't see this obvious resemblance, but I don't understand how the big academy has let this happen.

Summary

An adorable Christmas story, never sappy or sentimental, where the Dickensian meets the ineffably Italian. A medium-length film in which Alice Rohrwacher admirably combines humor, irony, tenderness, musicals, pictorials, and comics to once again deal with power, religion, and micropolitics.

Review

The story takes place in a Catholic religious boarding school for girls during Christmas Eve and Christmas. We are in Italy, during World War II.

Based on a letter that the Italian writer Elsa Morante wrote to a friend, Le pupille is a wonderful Christmas story. The director Alice Rohrwacher, in less than 40 minutes, offers us a sensitive, humorous and deep story about that boarding school, with a relentless mother superior (Alba Rohrwacher, most just) and the preparations for her living nativity scene so that the convent raises funds in that such a difficult time.

One of the offerings that one of the aristocrats of the place will make (a devastated and funny Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi) will generate an unexpected conflict in the convent. It is in this conflict where Rohrwacher ends up introducing his usual and acute (never obvious or pamphleteering) treatment of power, religion and micropolitics. The economy of resources and the originality with which the filmmaker expresses the conflicts and accumulated tension is remarkable, and she does it purely on film, combining the pictorial, humor, irony, musicals, and comics. As light as intense.

The film is adorable (like its childish cast), but never sappy, combining the Dickensian, the ineffably Italian and that fair tone suitable for all audiences but not childish, in line with the best and most classic exponents of the Disney universe.

Based in a Catholic Church on a snowy Christmas time. Le Pupille is an adorable, a little goofy 38 minute short and fairly worthy of award nods! There's a lot of gentle and intense behavior mixed in. For sure well made but not the best Christmas story maybe close to it quite worthy of a high rating. All the girls involved are a wonderful magnitude of cuteness and joy! The nuns are a little harsh yet respectable. The production everything is so good, impressive, and a lot of charm packed in. The woman that keeps wanting to talk to the girls is great I love her style and dedication to what she wants. Would highly recommend all around very good.

First of all, what a wonderful short!

The cinematography, the actresses (so cute!), the setting and the whole story... I loved it so much!

If you are looking for something short, that will warm your heart and make you and your relatives smile, this is the right one.

It feels so personal and intimate, in those 38 minutes you are part of their world and you'll wish to never leave it. At least I did.

Having already read the letter that inspired this story, I was pleasantly surprised by the film, it was not the way I immagined it, but better!

It was better than I imagined, so vivid and full of emotions.

PURE JOY FOR THE EYES, EARS AND HEART.

Happy Christmas!!

I loved this film. The children are all brilliant the the layered story about what giving and self sacrifice really mean is wonderful, and the look and direction are all expertly executed. Subtle yet strong gentle yet brutal this is a film that warmed my heart even thought I didn't see it at Christmas. And to get that many children having such great reactions is indicative of a very good director indeed. Although I should imaging that the schedule was long for a short. The costrules the feel and th me cinematography were all wonderful a true treat and Xmas confection for everyone. Bit of a pole in the catholic sides too!