"Luna nera"

     “Luna nera” debuted on Netflix on January 31 this year, but I have watched this series recently. I like any series about magic and witches, so I was really interested in this one. Additionally, it is an Italian one, then I had a doble motivation to watch it. Even triple, because it happens in 17th-centuary and I love historical series. To be honest, after I have watched it, I have mixed feelings. Show starts in a very interesting way, but develops in a real strange manner. I didn’t really understand the finale, so I’m not sure what to think. 

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    At the beginning Ade, the main character, and her grandma are assisting in a childbirth to a rich woman. She has some troubles with delivery, so Ade puts her hand on her belly and feels that the child is dying (she later explains that she felt like a soul of the baby was leaving the body). Of course, this situation causes a real trouble for them-grandma is accused of killing the baby and being a witch, so it sentences her to death. People in the village are really scared of witches, which additionally heats up the atmosphere. Ade and her little brother need to run of the town and find the shelter with witches. It turns out that Ade is really powerful and has a gift, she may be a Chosen One. All gets more complicated when Ade falls in love with Pietro, son of a man who is chasing witches. They are seeing each other in a secret, but they finally need to choose a side. Sante, the father of Pietro, sets a trap for to catch all the witches and kill them on a pile. When they are about to die, occurs a solar eclipse, which gives power to them and surprisingly to Ade’s brother. Ade is trying to save his brother and in effect kills the father of a man she loves. She manages to escape, but now she must find her “sisters”. Unfortunately, Pietro replaces his father and wants revenge.   

    This series is one of the strangest I have ever seen. During the series really weird things happen and sometimes I don’t understand the actions of the characters. The first two episodes were really nice and show how the fear and suspicions can rule our lives. In “Luna nera” we can see that the people in village turns back on Ade and her family. They forgot that her grandma was helping them for many years. They don’t even want to be near to them or sell them something to eat. Ade’s brother surprised me the most, because it turns out that he is actually a girl and their mother cast a spell to change the sex of the baby. Actually, her grandmother is really her mother, but she used her youth to cast the spell and her brother/sister is a Chosen One not Ade. 

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    It shows also a witch hunt, a hunt for innocent girls. Some of them were tortured and heavy bitten. It shocks, because there is a woman in the Sante’s group and she’s helping them. There is also a figure of His Eminence, who ususes magic. He encourages the Sante’s group to hunt and kill witches, but he also knows magic. It shows a double face of the representatives of Catholic Church and credulity of common man. 

    As I mentioned, I love historic series, so I’m able to capture mistakes and things outside of the era. In “Luna nera” there is a few, but no attentive viewer may miss them. I’m not sure if there will be a second season, but I also don’t know if I want to watch it. Is not a series which stuck in your memory, so if you have 5 hours to waste, you can watch it.  

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