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Set in the idyllic Italian countryside of the 1950s, Monella tells the story of Lola (played by the radiant Anna Ammirati), a spirited young woman engaged to the somewhat conservative Masetto. Lola is a "monella"—an Italian term for a "naughty" or "frivolous" girl—who is eager to explore her sexuality before settling into marriage. Monella -1998-
This performance keeps the film from ever feeling exploitative. Lola is the active agent 100% of the time. She controls the narrative, the pacing, and the physicality of every encounter. Masetto, for all his chisel-jawed masculinity, is a passenger in her joyride. In its own wacky way, Monella is a surprisingly feminist text—arguing that a woman has the absolute right to define the terms of her own sexual debut, even if those terms are maddeningly whimsical. Would you like to: Set in the idyllic
Tone and style
Monella sits between the more narrative-driven The Voyeur (1994) and the later, more abstract Senso ‘45 (2002). It is often considered – less political than Caligula (1979, which he disowned) and less melancholy than The Key (1983). Together with Frivolous Lola (alternate title), it forms a diptych with Cheeky! (2000) about young female sexuality in historical settings. Lola is the active agent 100% of the time