Despite the interesting directing by Alessandro Genovesi, The Tearsmith is an otherwise very forgettable movie, with lousy lines and weak storytelling. The latest Netflix product is hopefully not a representation of the future of Italian cinema—or the teen romance genre, for that matter.
★★☆☆☆
On the 7th of April, the Italian movie The Tearsmith (Il Fabbricante di Lacrime in the original language) debuted on Netflix. On its release, the film managed to rank at the very top of the global ranking of the streaming platform. This is an impressive achievement for any film, but especially for an Italian one given the general English-speaking audience’s known scepticism towards foreign language films. But does it deserve such widespread attention, and apparently appreciation? Let’s just say that in the landscape of recent cinema, The Tearsmith does not stand out in a positive way.
Based on Erin Doom’s best-selling Italian novel of the same name, The Tearsmith starts at the gloomy and oppressive Sunnycreek Orphanage where Nica Dover (Caterina Fiorini) is taken after her parents die in a tragic car accident. After living at the orphanage under the control of the strict headmistress Margaret Stoker (Sabrina Paravicini), Nica, now a teenager, is adopted by Anna (Roberta Rovelli) and Norman Milligan (Orlando Cinque). The couple also chooses to adopt Rigel Wilde (Simone Baldasseroni), who has always been hostile toward Nica. As they are forced to share a house and a school in the world outside of the orphanage, their relationship is about to become a lot more complicated.
The directing is by far the most impressive element of The Tearsmith. Some of the shots are particularly impressive, visually conveying the evolving relationship between the two protagonists. While the script does little to build its characters, the cinematography makes this fairly non-impressive story more interesting to look at.
Overall, the narrative feels odd and inconclusive. The conflict between Rigel and Nica is extremely manufactured and never really feels relevant or compelling. The script is also very clumsy and weak, failing to deliver the alleged dramatic stakes and emotional undertones of the characters. Except for a few honourable mentions (Roberta Rovelli and Sabrina Paravicini are both convincing in their respective roles) the acting is also another weak point—admittedly, though, there’s not much for them to work with. The script is clumsy, its alleged dramatic stakes and emotional undertones never realised and the protagonists never going through any real change by the time the movie ends.
The Italian setting feels out of place, especially when all the characters and plotlines seem so American. This is evident from the Anglicised names of the characters—the fact that an Italian couple would be named Miller definitely takes the audience out of the film and its supposed location—and in what looks like an American high school that bears no resemblance to the lived experiences of high school students across Italy. Perhaps this was a move to appeal to international audiences, making it more similar to the American-centric Western media viewers are used to, but it completely erases the national context and culture in which The Tearsmith is supposed to be set.
The Tearsmith is a poor teen romance movie at best, and a concerning one at worst. Its premise is somewhat interesting, and could have delved deeper into the reality and dark side of orphanages and adoptions. Similarly, the somewhat twisted and dark romance between the de-facto siblings could have made for a great thriller, instead of a sweet romantic comedy where everyone lives happily ever after.
The Verdict
With a stronger focus on its settings and themes, this could have been an interesting film. As it stands, although The Tearsmith is visually interesting this is undermined by a mediocre script and forgettable story.
Words by Clotilde Chinnici
The Tearsmith is on Netflix now.
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