By Ayva Fisher ‘26
Alessandro Genovesi’s movie The Tearsmith is an Italian romance/drama that portrays the fear behind true love. The movie involves characters who are engulfed in emotion throughout every moment in every scene. The movie opens in a bright setting, outdoors, with greenery and scenic views. You see smiles on character’s faces unknown of the tragedy that is about to occur. Viewers may have a hard time predicting what may happen; however, when it does it will all make sense.
The Tearsmith was originally a book by Erin Doom that was published in May of 2021. The word “tearsmith” is the idea of the one person who can make one cry and feel every emotion all at once. It was then turned into a movie by a director, Alessandro Genovesi, that was released in April of 2024.
After the death of her parents, Nica (Caterina Ferioli) is taken to Sunnycreek orphanage that the kids referred to as “the Grave.” After years of being in Grave, Nica is adopted by a married couple who had recently lost their son. On their way out of the orphanage, they hear Rigel (Biondo) playing the piano and decide to adopt him as well. It was after that when Rigel and Nica began a dark and fearsome romance with many obstacles both old and new.
Emotion is a huge concept for the characters in this movie. In the movie, both characters have somewhat of a dark past, one more than the other. Nica’s parents pass away at the start of the movie, leaving a hole in the heart she wears openly on her sleeve. She is the most abused in Grave along with the other children, except for Rigel. Rigel lives at Grave his entire life, upon being adopted with Nica. The director of the orphanage, Margaret Stoker (Sabrina Paravicini), practically raises Rigel, and appears to view him as her son. Both characters have a troubling upbringing.
The acting of Tearsmith and the way the actors embrace their characters is very intriguing. The actors bring you into the character’s head, their feelings, etc. The actors in this movie had to show a lot of emotion throughout the movie in order to portray their character in a way that outsiders looking in would understand. Biondo’s character, Rigel Wilde, is a very dark character. The actor had to embody the mindset behind who he was playing. Although viewed as dark and quiet, he had to push through and show what was behind his appearance and why he appeared in such a way. Caterina Ferioli’s character, Nica, is more of a lively character, who is scared and sad on the inside. The actress had to express her emotion in different ways compared with Rigel. She is more open and trusting. Biondo and Ferioli represent the characters they played so much that you can feel the characters’ emotions through the screen and through their actions.
Each character has a different light surrounding them that expresses their feelings as if they are bouncing off of them. The lighting in The Tearsmith varies based on where they are, what is going on, and the character who is on screen. The director has to interpret the way he wants viewers to see each character. Rigel has more of a darkness about him. He is always in darker lighting, his hair is dark, his eyes, his clothes, etc. All of this is to portray what he is feeling on the inside. On the other hand, Nica’s character has more of a light brought to her. This is to show what she is feeling on her inside. The lighting in the movie helps the viewer to envision what is going on behind each character, beyond what is being shown on the outside.
Personally, I would highly recommend this movie. I have not enjoyed a romantic movie in a while and this was one that I found made me feel something on both the inside and on the outside. I felt the passion, the emotion, the fear, all of it. That is what a good movie does, and this was certainly one of them.