On the day Italy joins the war in 1940, 12-year-old Renato gets his first bike and sees Malèna for the first time. She is a beautiful, quiet outsider who has moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He immediately goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. Over the next few years, as Renato grows up and becomes a man, he watches Malèna go through hard times and show how strong she is. He sees how lonely she is, how sad she is when she hears that Nico has died, how slander hurts her relationship with her father, how poor she is and how hard it is for her to find work, and how she is treated in the end. Will Malèna teach Renato to be brave and stand up for her?
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On the day Italy joins the war in 1940, 12-year-old Renato gets his first bike and sees Malèna for the first time. She is a beautiful, quiet outsider who has moved to this Sicilian town to be with her husband, Nico. He immediately goes off to war, leaving her to the lustful eyes of the men and the sharp tongues of the women. Over the next few years, as Renato grows up and becomes a man, he watches Malèna go through hard times and show how strong she is. He sees how lonely she is, how sad she is when she hears that Nico has died, how slander hurts her relationship with her father, how poor she is and how hard it is for her to find work, and how she is treated in the end. Will Malèna teach Renato to be brave and stand up for her?
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