The Malavoglias are a family of fishermen, but the eldest son Antonio wants to pursue a career in songwriting and spends his time listening to music. His older sister falls in love with a Moroccan illegal immigrant that Antonio saved, while the younger sister dates a rich stranger. When their father goes missing in the sea, the mother loses her mind. Grandfather fixes their broken boat and takes Antonio and his younger brother out to sea. Malavoglia is a magnificently photographed film that shows the daily life of people in Sicily and touches upon the immigrant issues through the eyes of a fisherman family. Like Luchino Visconti’s seminal film, [La Terra Trema], this film took its material from the novel by Giovanni Verga and completed it exquisitely. The 1 minute-long sequence in the beginning of the film, where each family member is introduced with the grandfather reciting proverbs and Antonio’s music in the background, is particularly impressive. This Sicilian made independent film was invited to Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti section. The absolute must ? see of this year! (RHEE Soue-won)