Emma Dante's 'Le Sorelle Macaluso': A Cinematic Tragedy of Sisterhood and Death
Emma Dante's 2020 film 'Le Sorelle Macaluso', adapted from her Ubu Award-winning play, is a powerful, imperfect work that blurs the lines between cinema and theater. Set in a decaying Palermo apartment, it follows five sisters—Maria, Pinuccia, Lia, Katia, and Antonella—over three life stages, from childhood to old age. The house itself becomes a protagonist, a shell and prison filled with memories. The film explores themes of love, death, and guilt, centered on the accidental death of Antonella during a beach outing, for which Lia bears responsibility. Key scenes include Maria's grotesque binge-eating after revealing her cancer, a violent confrontation between Pinuccia and Lia, and Maria's work in a taxidermy lab. The film uses symbols like pigeons, a carillon playing Satie, and a final image of Lia's corpse framed by a window overlooking the sea. Dante's signature style combines radical corporeality, literary density, and a Sicilian-inflected tragedy that feels both universal and deeply personal.
Key facts
- Film 'Le Sorelle Macaluso' directed by Emma Dante, released in 2020.
- Adapted from Dante's play of the same name, which won the Ubu Award in 2014 for best direction and best show.
- The film is structured in three acts, covering three phases of the sisters' lives.
- The five sisters are named Maria, Pinuccia, Lia, Katia, and Antonella.
- Antonella dies in a childhood accident at the beach, for which Lia feels responsible.
- Maria dies of cancer as an adult; her death is not shown on screen.
- Lia's corpse is shown in a tableau reminiscent of Mantegna and Serrano, with pigeons around her.
- The film features a scene where Maria, in a tutu, binge-eats pastries after revealing her illness.
- Maria works in a taxidermy lab, where animal carcasses are dissected.
- The film references Bataille, Lotar, Mario Giacomelli, Dalí-Buñuel's 'Un Chien Andalou', and Eisenstein.
- The house in Palermo is a central character, described as a 'casa-palco' (house-stage).
- Music includes Satie and a rendition of 'Inverno' by Battiato.
- The film ends with the sisters preparing to move out, releasing pigeons from a window.
- Actors include Serena Barone (Lia), Simona Malato (Maria), Antonella Finocchiaro (Pinuccia), and Viola Pusateri (Antonella).
Entities
Artists
- Emma Dante
- Serena Barone
- Simona Malato
- Antonella Finocchiaro
- Viola Pusateri
- Mario Giacomelli
- Salvador Dalí
- Luis Buñuel
- Sergei Eisenstein
- Anna Maria Ortese
- Donatella Finocchiaro
- Franco Battiato
- Geraldina Trovato
- Gianna Nannini
- Albert Camus
Institutions
- Artribune
- Ubu Award
- Teodora Film
- Premio Ubu
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Mondello
- Venice
- Europe