A Hilarious Tapestry of Medieval Absurdity
The Little Hours by Jeff Baena is a comedy that was filmed in medieval Italy which tells the story of the young servant named Massetto (Dave Franco) who is seeking shelter within a nunnery. Disguised as a ‘deaf-mute’ to escape notice, his arrival at the convent upsets the calm and serves to awaken carnal feelings in the sisters. The movie develops in a medieval and modern comedy, showing nun situations and their suffer the temptations and sins of the flesh.
Adapted from Boccaccio’s The Decameron with only gestures, jokes and all kind of comedy. It combines medieval scenery with elements of the present day, which gives a view, on the one hand, close to medieval romance and, on the other hand, quite liberal. There is sex, lies and religious subplot and complexity between the righteous morality and tumble sin. Silly humour and quirky characters prevent the movie from being overly dramatic, and allow for lighter look at the topics in question.
Tom and Jerry are really entertaining, and the rest of the cast does a great job portraying zany characters. Alison Brie as Alessandra, Aubrey Plaza as Fernanda, and Kate Micucci as Genevra very explicitly represent comedy for which each of these nuns has different and interesting problems at the core. I would like to stress John C. Reilly as perverting the role of Father Tommasso as quite plausible, funny player of a rather pathetic and troubled priest. The coordination and synch in the hilarious roles played by the actors makes it quite interesting while the director Jeff Baena has directed it in a very rough manner thus making the film a humorous one. Baena is able to create a unique comedic tone through her use of physical humor combined with the viewer’s visual and aural wordplay. His decision to introduce a present day plot to a historical background is lively and amusing His decision to integrate a scenography with motifs from the Middle Ages is consonant with owns musical notes based on traditional notes and medieval motifs, but also with dashes of the contemporary music. It enriches the comedic and the wacky spirit of the film, which also corresponds to anachronism of its context.
The cinematographer Quyen Tran depicts beautiful sceneries as well as the architecture of the building where the scenes of the convent were shot. The choreography and setting emphasize such aspects as cheerful comedy interludes within the overall medieval setting, where the plot develops. The interiors of the convent as well as the country side exteriors are portrayed to great detail making it fit the comedic tone in the story.
Although the movie does not survive on special effects, practical effects and sight gags are well done. These aspects strengthen comedy without interfering with the story’s ridiculousness on its own.
The movie’s fast-paced cutting also helps make the transitions smooth so that gags play well. Editor Ryan Brown gives a beat that is enjoyable to the audience and enhances the comedy aspect. The changing of the scenes keeps the viewers glued to their chairs and more so; the dialogues are well composed to fit the modern era and do contain humor. It combines medieval background and context with modern colloquialisms to create amusing and sometimes ridiculous dialogues that serve as an interesting addition to character development.
Nevertheless, it is the aspect of modernisation in a medieval context that might not appeal to every viewer as the film The Little Hours does. Occasionally, the comedy can be quite over the top, which, in the minds of some viewers, may distract from other, more meaningful subtext. Furthermore, character development mostly relies on comedic tropes which in some extent reduces the audience’s emotional investment. Fortunately, this film is entertaining and has very credible actors, which makes the movie a cheerful and even somewhat kitch discovery of desire and identity. It educates through entertaining people hence appeals to the hearts of the audiences due to its humor and the freedom of making fun of others in cinematic fashion.
