Nenè (1977)

Ju is a nine-year-old boy growing up in the aftermath of World War II in Italy. He is observant of the difficulties surrounding him. Both his father and mother have suffered emotionally, though his mother has suffered more due to the ongoing sexual and physical abuse caused by her husband. Ju's orphaned fifteen-year-old cousin Nenè, comes to live with his family. Through Nenè, Ju learns even more of the strange adult world that he has yet to enter. Nenè allows him to sleep in her bed and confides in him of her growing sexuality and her secret affair with a local Mulatto boy. IMDB

"Maladolescenza Lite" is really an indictment of Family
Made in the same year as "Maladolescenza" and sharing some similarities, this Italian tale of teen and pre-teen exploration is essentially an indictment of Family and could be described as "Maladolescenza Lite". There is some dark psycho-sexual material here, but it involves the mentally ill patriarch of a little boy's family whose sadistic impulses are visited on the body (and behind) of the boy's mother. A little boy (Sven Valsecchi) becomes sexually curious about Nene (Leonara Fani) when she stays with the family in the wake of her mother's suicide. In a couple of subtle sequences, Nene allows the boy to sleep beside her and engage in innocent touching. A dark, well written tale, "Nene" has a beautiful score by Francesco Guccini and superb direction by Salvatore Semperi. Interesting.

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