- Girls Challenge Authority through Melodic Expression
Even peeling potatoes has a beat. Clothes are washed in sync, the courtyard swept in rhythm. That's how shy maid Teresa pictures it in her fantasies, before she discovers her love for music.
Following her success with "Gloria!", director Margherita Vicario swept straight into the Berlinale competition in February. Surrounded by music, the Italian filmmaker narrates the tales of a group of young women, including the maid Teresa (Galatea Bellugi), in an 1800s music school for orphan girls located near Venice, led by a strict music maestro.
Paving the way for pop music
Teresa stumbles upon an old piano hidden away in a storage room and instantly masters its keys. As preparations for the visit of the newly elected Pope begin, who is set to receive a special concert, Teresa experiments with other young people on tunes. Essentially, they are the forerunners of pop music's evolution centuries later.
The film interweaves elements of an engaging, lively musical in certain parts. This isn't surprising, considering Vicario's background as a pop musician in Italy. Through her Italian-Swiss production, she reaches out to remember the numerous overlooked and suppressed female composers throughout history.
Emotional intensity and melodramatic moments
Inquired about her thoughts on women in modern music during the Berlinale, Vicario revealed her inspiration for focusing on composers active between the 16th and 20th centuries. The late 18th century, in particular, saw remarkable musical talents emerge, yet few are known.
The young ladies in the film valiantly contend against archaic gender roles, patriarchal systems, and fight for music that uplifts and inspires. In a casual, offhand manner, "Gloria!" unmasks bigotry and the potential peril of extreme Catholicism. However, the film features some sentimental and excessively melodramatic moments, with its overall emotional intensity often veering into the excessive.
Teresa's newfound love for music leads her to make an unexpected contribution to the music world within the 1800s music school. Despite being part of the European Union at the time, the film highlights the struggles of female composers, who were often overlooked or suppressed, as Margherita Vicario seeks to bring their stories to light through her Italian-Swiss production.
