Monica Bellucci stars in Ketticè at Rome Film Festival

Monica Bellucci’s sneer is back—and it’s glorious. The 59-year-old Italian screen legend stars in “Ketticè,” a new Italian coming-of-age comedy-drama directed by Giovanni Tortorici, where her signature mix of world-weary glamour and arch irony finally gets the showcase it deserves. The film premiered at the 2024 Rome Film Festival, marking Bellucci’s first major return to Italian cinema since her late-90s breakthrough in *Malèna* and *Brotherhood of the Wolf*.

The timing is no accident. After decades dominating French and Hollywood productions—from *The Matrix* to *Malèna*—Bellucci has been quietly re-engaging with Italian filmmakers, but not as the brooding femme fatale of yore. This time, she’s playing a mother whose teenage daughter is navigating first love and identity, all while the adults around them fumble in clueless denial. Tortorici, known for sharp satirical comedies like *The Chair*, built the role specifically to exploit Bellucci’s ability to toggle between gravitas and playful camp, a skill she’s honed over years of collaborating with auteurs like Luca Guadagnino (*Malèna*, *The Staggering Girl*).

The result is a 105-minute character study that balances deadpan humor with real emotional weight. Bellucci’s character, a former beauty queen stuck in provincial Sicily, delivers monologues laced with self-mythology and quiet despair, her famous sneer now a tool of weary resignation rather than menace. Early screenings have praised her chemistry with rising star Gaia Girace, who plays her daughter, and the film’s visual style—sun-drenched, slightly surreal—recalls mid-century Italian neorealism filtered through a Wes Anderson lens. Critics are calling it a rare example of “adult cluelessness” satire that doesn’t fall into cynicism.

With distribution deals in the works across Europe and North America, “Ketticè” could mark Bellucci’s next phase: no longer just an icon, but a comedienne with depth. It’s a reminder that even legends can reinvent themselves—and that Italy’s film industry, long overshadowed by France and Hollywood, still has teeth. Expect wider release in spring 2025, timed for awards season buzz.