Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy

Actor John Turturro takes viewers on a journey to his ancestral homeland in this impressionistic documentary that is part personal nostalgia trip but mostly an effort to portray the “soul” of the Sicilian people. Co-written by Turturro and director Roman Paska, Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy visits sites associated with Turturro's family, such as his grandmother's house, and more general venues, such as a stroll through Palermo's outdoor market. And a particularly jovial sequence follows the actor as he's welcomed into a convent whose nuns happily join him in song. But more footage is given over to interviews with local historians and artists, declamations of poetry and dramatic scenes, and conversations with master puppeteer Mimmo Cuticchio, custodian of a tradition that Turturro wants to learn about in preparation for a potential project. The film also features considerable coverage of the islanders' celebration of the Day of the Dead and related customs, with the overall purpose of suggesting that after a succession of invasions and occupations, the Sicilian self-identity has developed a dark, pessimistic side discernible in its culture and attitudes. Even in Turturro's own individual story, the shadow of death briefly falls when he talks about his mother and tears up over her recent demise. All of this, along with the numerous allusions to literature and drama, speaks to the tragic element in Sicilian life that is highlighted by the title. While obviously not the average travelogue, this is a curiously moving film that many will find appealing. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)