Nuovomondo (The Golden Door)

Poetic even in its English translation, "The Golden Door," from its literal Italian meaning, "new world"; this film lacks narrative, but, for most, makes up for it with aesthetics. Director Emanuele Crialese takes cues from the widely-acclaimed Fellini as well as a not as well known Italian Neorealist, Luchino Visconti. The film mixes early, narratiive Fellini with late surreal Fellini. It also captures a similar cultural precision of early 20th century, poverty-stricken Sicilians that is reminiscent of Visconti's 1948 film, "La Terra Trema."

Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato), an illiterate Sicilian peasant, climbs over a rocky Sicilian countryside with his son, Angelo (Franceso Casisa.) Each of them carry a rock in their mouth as they continue on their laborious climb. With their clothes just as tattered and dirty as their feet, they finally arrive at a monumental Cross made of logs. They humbly drop the rocks onto a pile that indicates a common ritualistic sacrifice among locals. Salvatore begins to pray in the form of asking questions that he can't answer himself.

Outside of a windowless shelter made of rocks cemented together, two generations of women sit in awe over postcards of America that show people towing giant onions, and money growing on trees. With just a touch more of drive from Salvatore and lifelessness from Rosa (Isabella Ragonese), the family finally finds the courage to emigrant overseas.

Salvatore first sets his sights on Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an Italian speaking Englishwomen who somehow found her way to Sicily, on a chaotic port just before boarding the boat. She seems to need his assistance from the get-go as she pretends to be with him whenever anyone with authority looms near. They get separated; and so, they don't board the ship together. Though, eventually, to the dismay of his mother Fortunata (Aurora Quattrocchi), they reunite. Lucy wants to marry him when they arrive at Ellis Island for reasons unknown, though she states it isn't for love. Salvatore eagerly accepts, and defensively states that they hardly know each other, but these things take time...

The half-baked love story serves as a device for the greater focus of the film; the strife of the early 20th century Sicilian emigrants. When they arrive at Ellis Island, they're treated like animals. The purpose of these tests are not purely medical (contrary to the beliefs of the doctors during that time), but are meant to weed out those who are believed to be intellectually inferior, because studies showed that stupidity is contagious; and officials want to be sure that anyone entering the country isn't going to spread their "stupid gene." Many of these people live on the basis of survival for their entire lives, and lack even the most basic education. Sadly, most fail miserably at these tests.

Ultimately, "The Golden Door" changed genres whenever Crialese felt it was convenient to do so. Not as hard to decipher as Fellini's mid to late Surrealist works, but more artful than Visconti's Neorealist film, "La Terra Trema"; "The Golden Door" aims to please everyone. Though, it's one of the better films that have been released lately, it surely isn't flawless, and somewhat superficial. Lucy is a women with no past; thus, unknown motivations.

A nice touch is that the Sicilians speak dialect, and not proper Italian which adds credibility as well as a sort of charisma to the characters. It isn't a must-see, but it certainly is a should-see.