Dalida [Film]

Welcome to Day 4 of our unofficially titled “12 Non-Holiday Films for the Holidays”. For 12 days, we are showcasing 12 amazing non-holiday themed films for those of us who despise holiday films or the whole damned season altogether. Enjoy!

“Recording in more than five languages, Dalida sold a record-breaking 170 million albums during her lifetime, with chart-topping hits spanning Edith Piaf-esque classics to emotional disco numbers. Following Dalida’s extraordinary rise from beauty pageant contestant to cabaret artist to international superstar, this visually stunning new film tells a captivating story of professional success and personal tragedy in exquisite period detail. Italian-model-turned actress Sveva Alviti paints a nuanced portrait of the star in her breakthrough role.”

– Emma Griffiths PR

Wow, just fucking WOW! This was an absolutely incredible cinematic experience. I will personally admit that I was completely unaware that Dalida was a person of note. Yes, I am an uncultured American scum who knows very little about what shook the world in the 50’s to 80’s Europe. My sincerest apologies. I had no idea who Dalida was before watching this film, and after watching the film, I am still not familiar with a single record she may have put out. But, I can say that thanks to an absolutely brilliant and Oscar worthy performance form Sveva Alviti, and an amazing film brought to us by Lisa Azuelos, I feel like I know of Dalida and her legacy a whole lot better than I could have ever imagined.

Seriously folks, even if you have absolutely zero interest in the career of a woman who sold over 170 million records worldwide, yet could only become a star in the states through the terrifying art of disco, this is truly a fascinating film that you are going to love. At its core, this is a film about the battle of the human spirit. It is a motion picture about the tyranny of trying to battle our inner emotions against the insane view from the world around us. Few people know what it is like to have the entire world watching you, and yet all you feel inside is a deep hole that has only been filled with regrets and a sadness and shame. This is the type of aura that you will you witness as it is so brilliantly displaced by Sveva Alviti, in a role that should really make her career, and make her a world-wide success. The charisma and skill that it took to bring this truly conflicted character to live in such an elegant manner had to be an absolute challenge. But, she succeeded, to say the least!

If you can be prepared to watch 2 hours of absolute struggle in a world where it seems as though a heroine has received everything she could ever want, yet feel so cold and alone inside that no amount of “success” could ever truly calm them, then Dalida is the film you are looking for. This is not just a biopic. This is an absolutely treasure of modern cinema, and it needs to be enjoyed by all.

Dalida is now available on VOD and across all major platforms. Check out this trailer for the film here: