Rumours grow around her, which she unwisely fuels by allowing an unmarried air force officer to visit her after dark. Malèna gets the news that her husband has been killed, adding grief to her isolation. When his parents find it in his bedroom, they become upset and try to break his fixation. To fuel his erotic fantasies, he steals some of her underwear from her clothes line. Renato becomes obsessed with Malèna, spying on her in her house and stalking her when she leaves it. She keeps an eye on her infirm old father who lives alone, until he gets an anonymous note slandering her, which causes him to reject her. Because of her beauty and solitary status, she is an object of lust for all the town's men and of hatred for its women. Her husband is in the armed forces fighting the British in Africa, and she lives alone.

On June 10, 1940, in the small Sicilian town of Castelcuto, a teenage boy named Renato experiences three major events: Italy enters World War II he receives a new bike and he first sees the beautiful and sensual Malèna, who is the most desired young woman in town. At the 73rd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2001 Cabourg Film Festival. It stars Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro.

Malèna is a 2000 erotic comedy-drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore from a story by Luciano Vincenzoni.

Malina movie