NewsBytes Recommends: 'Yara' on Netflix: Sensitive, engaging, and empathetic
What's the story
Films that draw inspiration from real, unsettling stories are present in droves in every cinematic industry globally. However, most of them run the risk of sensationalizing the subject matter and a deep sense of honesty and empathy is required to do justice to such projects. This sensitivity, thankfully, is ubiquitous in the Italian film Yara, which details the upsetting case of a teenager's murder.
Story
This is what happens in the film
The film is a reflection of the pervasive problem of women's safety and accentuates how this is a matter of concern in every part of the world. Yara Gambirasio, a 13-year-old girl disappears one evening, with investigation hiting roadblocks rapidly. Subsequently, over the next three months, police and extraordinary prosecutor Letizia bend over backward to locate her. Alas, all they find is her body.
#1
No over-the-top, dramatic representation
The best part about Yara is its humane approach to the late Yara and her family. Often, films in this category (especially in India), rely on overdramatic shots, close-ups, melodrama, and unnecessarily loud background music, but the filmmaking in Yara is much more refined, mature, and sure of itself. It's a relief to watch a story that doesn't try to encash on the dead.
#2
We don't see Yara much, yet we connect to her
When the victims dies at the beginning of the film, the question arises: How do we become naturally sympathetic if we don't even know them? However, things are different when it comes to Yara, and we know her through her voiceovers, her diary entries, and the way her friends/family describe her. In the process, the distance between us and her is bridged rapidly.
#3
The thought that went into Letizia's character
Prosecutor Letizia is rounded up with solid substance. Despite the movie's brief runtime, we come to know plenty of details about her, especially through her relationship with her daughter, who's Yara's age. Since Yara is shown to be an all-rounder, one also naturally wonders if she may have grown up to be like Letizia had her life not been cut short tragically.
#4
How such instances impact women, how women resist
In addition to underlining a true story (and the insurmountable challenges faced by Letizia while fighting for justice), the film is also a reminder of how gender violence pits men against women. Letizia's supervisor doesn't trust her and believes that perhaps a man should take charge; and eventually, it's a woman researcher, working sans grant, who provides the final breakthrough. Women solidarity shines through.
Conclusion
Stream the film on Netflix
The Marco Tullio Giordana directorial is an effective, engaging watch that will make you both angry and upset at the cruelty meted out to Yara and millions like her. Starkly redolent of The Asunta Case, it's painted with a sincerity that is hard not to admire. Never stop fighting the good fight, Yara's end credits seem to fiercely declare. It's streaming on Netflix.