Directed by Lea Todorov, this French-Italian film is a biopic of Doctor Maria Montessori, the pioneering educator who revolutionised children’s learning in the early twentieth century.
The story behind the famous school is inspiring and heartbreaking. It’s told using factorial components of Montessori’s life entwined in the fictional story of Lila and her impaired daughter Tina. Their lives, while significantly different, parallel one another as they fight for independence and acceptance in a patriarchal society.
Lila’s estranged ‘idiot’ daughter comes back into her life and to avoid societal shame, she enrols her in Orthophrenic School of Rome run by Montessori and co-director Guiseppe Montesano (Raffaele Esposito), who were in a secret relationship together. Montessori, a medically trained doctor, had developed a revolutionary way to educate those considered unreachable. At the heart of her work is maternal love and acceptance of the child and meeting them where they’re at in life.
The film reveals the personal sacrifices Montessori made in her career. She had a child out of wedlock with Montesano who was kept secret, as if she married, societal expectations would force her to give up her career.
The movie is inspiring in the way it cast young people with physical and cognitive disabilities and lets them shine. It’s also heartbreaking as the complexity of the times meant life was isolating for these children. Women too, were required to make heavy choices and sacrifices to fit into a world designed for men.
The story is beautifully executed. It’s tender and even in its harsh moments, the story is treated with the respect it deserves.
The Italian Film Festival is on throughout October and this is just one of the wonderful films showing.