Acla's Descent into Floristella (La discesa de Acla a Floristella)

For anyone buying things here on Amazon, the world Acla is depicted inhabiting, likely seems unreal. Purely fictional. Selling one’s child into servitude (for a whopping 500 Lira no less!) seems unreal. Beyond the sometimes lurid dialog, is a story of genuine human plight. This story continues today in many places throughout the third-world. Even in wealthier parts of the globe, anytime/ place males are isolated together — the weaker are exploited. (in prisons, for instance)To be clear, while nothing prurient is even remotely shown or heard — “contact” IS overtly discussed as happening amongst the various mine workers. Boys’ banter is all very matter-of-fact, with the occasional dose of dark humour, as legitimately happens.To that end, the story and plot aren’t heavily-weighing. What’s considered outrageous and abusive here / today, was and continues to be simple reality in places / times throughout history. For it was barely more than 100 years ago, wee little kids were regularly sent off to work in US heavy industry, and as farm labour. Crazy, right?

This is an interesting story that I stumbled on some years ago. It only has become available on DVD fairly recently. It tells the story of a young boy from an impoverished, large Italian family whose only income is from working in the sulfur mines. He is sold into slavery to one of the other mine workers and is forced to spend his days and nights in the mine with only one day in seven to spend with his family on the outside. It tells of his interaction with the other miners and his wish to leave and go see the ocean. He thinks that is the only way he can get out of the mine and away from his hopeless situation. It does not have a happy, uplifting ending but is an example of how those who find themselves in dire straights lean to cope and find some happiness were they are and with what they have. It is also the story shattered hope. It is Italian with English sub-titles. It will be in my permanent collection. As disturbing as it is, it is well worth the time and effort to watch.

Very disappointing. The background information is correct about the shocking sale of a boy's laborfor several years in a sulfur mine, during the 1930s. The nudity in this DVD is a historic fact forlabor in such a mine due to the high temperatures and humidity - just a waist string and a flap in thefront to protect the crouch. In the Mediterranean regions, pedophile behaviors have quite a tragichistory for boys sold into indentured servitude in a mine where they are at the behest of other men.The conclusion is quite succinct to emphasize, Acla, like so many other boys sold into indenture, hadno future.The DVD arrived with a cracked, damage cover. In addition due to the damage of the cover, the DVDwas rendered defective.

This movie gives a little bit of something to dislike about these people! It isn't about man/boy love or even gay love -- there's damn little love in it at all! We witness one violent act after the other -- rapes, beatings -- you name it -- selfish, horny, frustrated boys and men and woman.It seems like I wouldn't really care for it for in the end it did the job -- it made one re-consider the way humans can treat each other most especially it reminds us of how some places in the world place a value on our children that we could never imagine.

Good movie about the father selling his son to a sulphur Miner in the old country ,at 10 years old and is also beaten for not carrying 25 pounds ,runs away and heads for the sea gets caught brought back but runs again and gets away ,the era is probably early 1900s before child labor laws were enacted.

An excellent movie. Although there were some scenes I didn't particularly like (the physical abuse for example), the movie was based on actual events in this man's childhood, and for some reasons movies based on actual facts tends to appear more real to me, which I like in movies.

The quality of this DVD was dreadful it looked like it had been copied over and over which is a pity because the film portrays a very serious subject of child slavery in the sulfur mines good film terrible copy.

This was a very well acted film, The lead character was too young to realize the horrors he would encounter in those mines, both physical and mental. Way to brutal for even those times, the issues were handled somewhat well, or rather glossed over.