I have seen more of my share of films about the trials and tribulations of coming of age, but only maybe a few have ever truly hit me where it hurts. Late Italian director Luigi Comencini’s stunning 1966 film Incompreso (Misunderstood) is definitely one of those films.
Buy Misunderstood 1966 Blu-rayFilm legend Anthony Quayle stars as John Lacombe, a British diplomat in Italy and widower with two sons, first-born Andrew (Stefano Colagrande) and little Milo (Simone Giannozzi). Andrew seems to be unaffected by the loss by his mother, trying to put up a front while being Miles’ protector. Miles (having the ‘little brother’ syndrome and is sickly) always blames Andrew for his misbehaviors, which puts an even bigger strain on the relationship between he and John. Deep down, Andrew is an emotional wreck, missing his mom every day and night. It is when tragedy strikes where John understands the inner consequences of both his emotional and physical unavailability, and that he and Andrew can finally reconcile.
Misunderstood is one of those rare films that gets childhood accurately right. There’s a striking sensitivity to the entire film that many others of its kind miss. Comencini really understands children and their hopes. He captured their complexities and confusions with remarkable precision, where he got two of the best child performances I’ve ever seen from both Colagrande and Giannozzi, neither of whom ever made another film afterwards, but with this one, I think they will be cemented in movies for years to come. Quayle is also wonderful as the aloof John, adding to his amazing roster of performances, so I shouldn’t forget him.
Special features of the Radiance Blu-ray include interview with co-screenwriter Piero De Bernardi and Cristina Comencini (daughter of Luigi); interview with critic Michel Ciment; A Child’s Heart, visual essay by David Cairns; and trailer. There’s also a limited booklet with a great new essay by critic Manuela Lazic and a newly translated archival interview with L. Comencini.
