7 Women and a Murder Netflix Movie Review | 7 Donne e un Mistero
I just checked out this Italian murder mystery, Seven Women and a Murder. We see a family living their regular lives. But when their family patriarch is stabbed, seven women, each with ulterior motives, become trapped together in a mansion to solve the puzzle of his murder.
So we've got this family that lives in a large estate with a maid, and they're all getting together for Christmas. The characters are made up of a mom, her two adult daughters, the mom's sister, the grandmother, the maid, a former flame and the dad. And what we learn not only from the title of the movie, but also very quickly into the story is that the dad has been stabbed.
And because there appear to be no signs of forced entry, the suspect still could be in the house and mingling among the characters. This is a quick 90 minute watch, and it's pretty lighthearted for a mystery. The time period is like the late 20s or early 30s.
So there's not much technology that can help or interfere with the storytelling. And there's a whimsical musical score to the whole presentation, and it feels both odd and fun all at the same time. It's a bit counterintuitive for upbeat or lighthearted tunes to play as the cast discusses hurts and suspicions.
But it does end up working for the most part. Because there are several cast members, all of whom or none of them could be the murderer. This does have a resemblance to an Agatha Christie story.
But this one, it's not nearly as detailed, twisted or even good. I'm not saying this is poo. It's just not reaching the top of that intrigue ladder.
I enjoyed the cast as they each bring complications and doubt to the story, and none of them come across as 100% honest and transparent. So there's always at least a sliver of possibility that any of them could be the culprit. And because this is sort of a light and easy murder mystery, there's humor and levity sprinkled throughout, and some are overused.
But it never got annoying. Take the grandmother, for instance. She's constantly looking for another drink.
And is that to mask her guilt or does she just enjoy the inebriation? I mean, she's also a bit snarky and crotchety at times, which makes the dynamics interesting when personalities begin to clash. Now, there is a bit of a mean-spirited feeling amongst a lot of the characters. They typically have biting comments to make about each other.
And then that creates more curiosity about them and their motives. I mean, are they deflecting or creating false doubt to put the blame on somebody else? Well, I'm not necessarily a fan of some of the comments they made back and forth at each other, especially considering they are family. It did work for the misdirection, and it helped to keep me guessing at who was really responsible.
For the setting, because this takes place at a large home, so much of the presentation feels like it could be a stage play with large amounts of dialogue exchanges taking place in one room before characters march off to another area. And the rest either follow to continue in the arguing or the accusations. I mean, this worked for me partly because I really enjoy stage plays, but also because the contained setting, it created an atmosphere of urgency and mild danger, especially if the murderer was actually one of them, which means more could die.
The costume design is really great. Each character has a sort of a signature color for them, although two do share a color, which I think is a tiny bit odd. But the outfits, they certainly feel like it's early in the 20th century and that helps to visually reinforce that premise.
This is definitely more of a casual watch for me rather than something that I was completely hooked into and then spellbound by. Now, because it is in Italian and I don't do dubbing, I couldn't look away or else I'd miss something. But I wasn't riveted to my seat, watching with just bated breath as every exchange took place.
I was having fun and I was enjoying the banter and the mild silliness. I think the ending, though, it's a little lackluster. I was thinking maybe disappointing, but it's not really that.
It's just more of a bit anticlimactic. I wasn't looking for some massive reveal or the music to come crashing down with that Dun, dun, dun!
But, you know, I was hoping for more when all that was shown to us. I mean, the movie wasn't a waste of time, but when it ended, I was just kind of like, yeah, all right. So what's next? So I think if you want something fairly quick, not too involved or convoluted and you want a bit of intrigue, consider giving this one a shot.
The acting is fun. The musical score is emotionally confusing, but it's enjoyable. And there's also some light comedy to go along with the death.
I mean, this isn't Clue or Knives Out or anything as funny or detailed, but it's not too bad either. I give Seven Women and a Murder two and a half out of five stars.