Luna Nera (Black Moon) is a story about witch-hunting, this time with real witches - stregas - in 17th-century Italy.
Full of teenage characters, love seems to be one of the main ingredients of the plot. Love secrets, forbidden loves, and an environment of romance clash with the brutal treatment of the women accused of witchcraft.
Ade (Antonia Fotaras), the protagonist, is a young woman discovering herself, scared and full of uncertainties. Yet, she bravely accepts her mission, fighting against her anguish and indecision.
The Benandanti
The witches' main enemy is a group of masked men that hunts them with no mercy. Their looks are already terrifying, even before they do anything. But, at the end of the day: what's their motivation? What beliefs lead them to that cruelty?
Yes, that particular group of women they're hunting were real witches. Yet, if you take a close look at the benandanti criteria… almost any single woman could fit them.
In this group, we have two interesting characters: the priest, who is full of mysteries. It seems that he is some sort of wizard or sorcerer; he has supernatural powers. At the end of the show, it looks like he was possessed by something… We don't have accurate answers about him.
The second character is Cesaria (Gloria Carovana). She is a curious woman, different from others. She dresses like a man and seems to be in the group to please her father (is he her father?). She looked interesting in many ways, and I would like to see the character grow in a possible next season.
All other benandanti were shallow characters. Who are they? Why are they there? What's their motivation? We need more than a dozen men in costumes to make the group credible.
Pietro
Pietro (Giorgio Belli) is the boy who went to study abroad and now doesn't belong in the village. It could make an interesting character, but it didn't. He is just a cliché, and his indecision is annoying.
When he finds out that Ade prophesied his mother's death, we thought, "Okay, now he is going to make a decision. He is going to do something. Anything." It didn't matter which decision he would make. We just want to see some action from him. But…
First, he wants to belong to the benandanti; then, he doesn't. He hates Ade; later, he wants to marry her. Sorry, it was supposed to be romantic, but I found it a little annoying.
Historical Reconstitution
That was definitely the high point of the show. I can't tell you if it is absolutely accurate in all details, but it was superb. The environment is credible, the beliefs and how important those beliefs are to the population, the horrible tortures, and the burning of witches.
It is engaging and takes us to another time.
Season Finale
Let's talk about that last episode. I found it a bit ridiculous until very close to the end. I mean, that flight… Really?
After we're provided with a "logical" explanation, it finally starts to make some sense in a bizarre way. Yet, you can't deny that the writers were quite creative.
I thought that Pietro's destiny was predictable. Ade's fate, however, was more surprising. It made me curious. What was that? Some kind of demon that travels from one human to another? Some sort of poison to the soul? I hope we get an explanation in a second season.
Too Romeo and Juliet
The traditional story about tragic love, condemned from the first minute, is not my thing. Too romantic for my taste, I had a good time watching it nonetheless.
The best part, and the reason I think you could give it a try, is that it's not a show about simply the victimization of those women. They fight back!
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