Mignon Has Left

The posh Parisian life of 14-year-old Mignon (Beauvallet) is disrupted when her father is jailed and she is dispatched to Italy to visit relatives. Chaos reigns in the Forbicioni family: Dad is having an affair, Mum is pursued by her brother-in-law, and the five children are suffering growing pains. Particularly afflicted, Giorgio (Ruta) becomes infatuated with his snooty French cousin, neglects his schoolwork, and makes a botched suicide attempt. While the conflicts in Francesca Archibugi's first feature tend to soap opera (unrequited love, rebellion, teen pregnancy, terminal illness), there are compensations in the casual, affectionate portrayal of family life. More satisfying are the enfolding adult dramas, which receive less emphasis yet capture the sort of impulsiveness that eludes the depiction of teen angst. This has a great deal to do with Stefania Sandrelli's sensitive performance as the mother.