"Pinocchio" by Matteo Garrone (2019)

Well, of course, who else but Italians will come with by far the best movie version of a classic Italian children's story. Disney had a soft and gentle perspective, with lots of music and clowning but this one is million times better and closer to a spirit of the cautionary tale that "Pinocchio" basically is - because its not about hundreds of other cute Disney tricks and gimmicks but about obedience to a parents and how evil and horrible the world outside can be if you don't follow your orders and don't go to the school. If you don't do as you were told, if you escape the school and join the other stupid kids (who are obviously having fun), you will be either kidnapped, robbed or hung from a tree. Or turn into a monkey and sold to a circus. In fact, more you think of it, Carlo Collodi story has a lot in common with scary Brothers Grimm world where children are deserted in a dark forrest or evil stepmothers are made to dance to death in a cursed shoes, etc. 

So yes, occasionally its creepy but also beautiful to watch - I dare to say that this is 100% European sensitivity that is based on beautiful aesthetics with dark undertones - I was painfully aware that American director would stuff this very same story with saccharin pink clouds and cutesy details (just see what they did to "Wrinkle in Time"), never ending moralising, life affirming lessons hammered into a script and probably Oprah Winfrey somewhere or the other - not here. You get the point by watching the movie, you understand that parents love their children and children love them back without Oprah telling you so. And this is the main difference between European and American film making - it seems to me that Americans find it necessary to dumb down their scripts and literary explain everything letter by letter to their audience, where European artists don't do that. Director Matteo Garrone created very magical experience without compromising the spirit of the story at all - no need for moralising or explaining to us that Pinocchio is a bad boy. In fact, he is not bad at all, he is just not experienced and very sweet in his naivety. When The Cat and Fox swindle him for his golden coins, its not because he is a bad boy, its because he was just recently created from a piece of wood and he sweetly believes everyone. When "the bad boys" convince him to run away from the school and joins them in a magic Toyland, Pinocchio at first looks as a outsider - because he is - while the rest of the boys are screaming, running around and going wild, he is at first just shy observer - whatever happens to him, we understand that he is a good hearted boy who just falls in the troubles because of his trust. Again, in some other hands this could have been very annoying disaster but Italians did it perfectly, without going into a long monologues and explanations - we simply watch and understand this. As a piece of movie it was perfectly suitable for both children and adults - visually it was absolutely unforgettable and beautiful to watch. Excellent.