The Sea Purple (2009)

Nothing - not her father, not the church - can stop unruly Angela from being with her childhood best friend turned great love, Sara. Based on a true story, Viola di mare, presents a ... See full summary »

Director:

Donatella Maiorca

Writers:

Giacomo Pilati (novel), Donatella Maiorca (screenplay)

Stars:

Valeria Solarino, Isabella Ragonese, Ennio Fantastichini

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valeria Solarino	...	Angela / Angelo
Isabella Ragonese	...	Sara
Ennio Fantastichini	...	Salvatore
Giselda Volodi	...	Lucia
Marco Foschi	...	Tommaso
Ester Cucinotti	...	Concetta
Giovanni Moschella	...	Don Pantaleo
Alessio Vassallo	...	Nicolino
Sergio Vespertino	...	Vincenzo
Aurora Quattrocchi	...	Ciarmavermi
Emanuela Corso	...	Angela bambina
Giacoma Basiricò	...	Sara bambina
Maurizio Anastasi	...	Barone
Lucrezia Lante della Rovere	...	Baronessa
Corrado Fortuna	...	Ventura

Storyline

Nothing - not her father, not the church - can stop unruly Angela from being with her childhood best friend turned great love, Sara. Based on a true story, Viola di mare, presents a uniquely engaging portrait of family, community and gender roles in a 19th century Italian village.

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Plot Keywords:

lgbt | lgbtq | woman dressed as a man | village | love | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

16 October 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Purple Sea

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,018,995

Company Credits

Production Co:

Italian Dreams Factory, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali (MiBAC), Sicilia Film Commission

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Sogno
Performed by Gianna Nannini

User Reviews

Lesbian love on an 18th Century Mediterranean island

Viola di mare or Purple Sea (also known as The Sea Purple) (2009) was written and directed by Donatella Maiorca. It's set on a barren island in the Mediterranean sea in the 19th Century. This clearly isn't paradise for anyone, and it's hell for a lesbian couple.

Isabella Ragonese plays Sara, who returns to the island after many years away. Valeria Solarino plays Angela, a determined, forceful woman, whose gender and sexual orientation make her a rebel and an outcast. These women fall in love--or, actually, revive their love--and they are clearly meant to be a couple. However, in a small, closed society like this one, their life together is considered impossible.

This is the basic plot (and the basic problem). What follows in the film is a compelling drama of true love trying to flourish--or at least survive--in an unlikely setting and in an unlikely way.

Both women are very lovely and the overall acting in the film is excellent. The production values are high. This is a movie worth seeking out and seeing. It will lose some of the barren scenic quality on the small screen, but it will otherwise work well on DVD. We had the privilege of seeing it at the Dryden Theatre, as part of the superb ImageOut Rochester Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.