The Sky Is Falling

Like Vittorio De Sica's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, this film by Andrea and Antonio Frazzi deals with the experiences of an upper-class Jewish family in World War II Italy, but the approach here is far more earthy and direct. Based on an autobiographical novel by Lorenza Mazzetti, it focuses on two young sisters who go to live with their aunt (Isabella Rossellini) and her German husband (Jeroen Krabbe) in a Tuscan villa after their parents' deaths in 1943. Initially, their new life is a bucolic and seemingly carefree existence, but the atmosphere shifts to tragedy with the German occupation that follows Mussolini's downfall. The Sky Is Falling is a touching portrait of a lesser-known aspect of the Holocaust, blessed with sensitive work by the two adult stars and agreeably natural performances from a bevy of child actors--led by the charming Veronica Niccolai and Lara Campoli as the transplanted siblings--not to mention lovely locations, nicely captured by cinematographer Franco Di Giacomo. Recommended. (F. Swietek)