7 DONNE E UN MISTERIO/ 7 WOMEN AND A MURDER

Italy, 2021, 82 minutes, Colour.

Margherita Buy, Diana Del Bufalo, Sabrina Impaddiatore, Benedetta Porcaroli, Micaela Ramazzotti, Luisa Ranieri, Ornella Vanoni.

Directed by Alessandro Genovesi.

A slight entertainment, a murder mystery. In fact, the film is based on the film 8 Women by François Ozon, 2002.  A much shorter film – and the reduction of one woman from the title and screenplay.

The action happens over a couple of hours. The daughter of the family, Susannah, returns from Milan early, finding a new maid, Maria, in the house. Her mother, Margherita arrives home. Also in the house is the grandmother in a wheelchair, prone to drink, and the maiden aunt who is infatuated with her brother-in-law. And there is also the younger sister at home. The seventh woman is a neighbour, friend of the father of the house.

The maid discovers the father, Marcello, dead in his bed, stabbed in the back.

What follows is panic, mutual suspicions, arguments, the arrival of the neighbour who is also under suspicion. Phones are cut, car wires cut, the gate to the mansion locked – and a blizzard is blowing outside. Christmas Eve.

It is left to the women to argue and find out what happened. In the process, a great number of secrets are revealed about each of the women, and the fact that each of them visited the dead man during the night. It is revealed that the wife is about to leave her husband, something of a loveless marriage, and suspicion is on the neighbour. However, it is the maid who has been in a relationship with the dead man. The maiden aunt is infatuated but the maid transforms her in make up and evening dress! The old grandmother has visited her son-in-law who is in need of money and refuses to give him her stocks which she hides under the bed. The older daughter had returned early to tell her father that she was pregnant. And the neighbour had also come back and visited during the night.

Various changes of attitude of the women towards each other during the film – until the final revelation that the man is not dead, the younger daughter and the maid set up everything for the revelation of secrets!

And 80 minutes pastime for those who enjoy murder mysteries – this time Italian and emotional style!