Bronwen and I watched this Felliniesque Argentine/Italian piece from the early 1990s for her class on Spanish language film and conversation. It stars Marcello Mastroianni in one of his last roles, and chronicles the tale of small village in rural Argentina (what do they do there, anyway?) A young woman whose husband has just died learns her daughter will never ‘grow’ and is a dwarf. The daughter, Carlotta (Charlotte) grows into a curious, talented, creative, sparkling young woman and Mastroianni falls in love with her. The title is about the mother’s demand that no one speak of or acknowledge the dwarfism, and then the circus comes to town. An interesting if relatively minor film that’s worth seeing nonetheless, it’s got great supporting characters in the town’s men and women, including the incoherent mayor, the priest with his Protestant mistress, the lovable and loving prostitutes all of whom adore Mastroianni (and who wouldn’t?), the proper doctor, and the mother of the town’s other disabled girl, a loveable mute.