An aspiring young poet memory-bound to the grip of a melancholic past, awaiting to unlock the seemingly unreachable doors to success. Hurt by Paradise becomes an intimate dialogue with one`s inner spirit, a vital expedition to self-discovery and to fulfilling their desire to perceive the entirety of life and human emotions. Be it through passion or struggle, the key to understanding the worth and meaning of life is by progressively seeking to improve.
Celeste – the film`s protagonist – learns this the hard way by having to fight constantly to advance in the social hierarchy or simply survive. With that in mind, her situation complicates exponentially when it is revealed she`s a single mother, working to provide for her child while also guarding her beliefs so they won`t be shattered on the way.
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As Celeste attempts to preserve the authenticity of her work, she finds it difficult to adapt to the unjust requirements of achieving glory, and making a name for herself as a young up-and-coming poet tends to become more and more of a distant dream. Encountering people with rather shallow interests and common aspirations will not be beneficial for her career`s development, given how little her true value might be recognised.
Even so, Celeste keeps on trying to pursue her final goal with great determination and an unbreakable spirit. Despite constant rejection, this film`s female lead proves to be an inspiring example, an unquestionable idealist mesmerised by words and feelings.
Just like the heroine of the feature, the writer, director and even lead actress, Greta Bellamacina, displayed her devotion to the worlds of cinema and fine arts by immersing herself completely into every part of the creative process. Being able to fully alter and shape the form of her script, as well as holding the decisive vote on putting the film together visually, has proved to be a great achievement for her.
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From mainly starring in shorts to even being an uncredited extra in one of the “Harry Potter” series films, Hurt by Paradise marked Bellamacina`s debut to feature films. Apart from getting to live her character`s dream of being professionally involved in the arts, the director had also received nominations for her work in this 2019 piece. Raindance awarded her a nomination for Best UK Feature, while the Edinburgh International Film Festival also praised the filmmaker for her performance, among two other merits.
Performance-wise, the best choices for this type of roles have always been those who have personally struggled to find their own place in this crowded industry, so it is fair to say that I saw Celeste`s determination in Greta Bellamacina’s life story. Needless to say, the main character was definitely the most complex one, as expected, the others serving solely for the purpose of training the lead`s way through life. The ones closest to her could have used more of a personal evolution. Normally, this would have been a significant issue in terms of plot complexity, but judging how they all had one objective – that of living and expanding around Celeste – it works well enough not to damage the worth of the script.
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