Pinnochio (2019)

The wooden puppet that is Pinnochio will never stop becoming a real boy. Nearly 150 years after its initial publication and exactly 70 after the first Disney adaptation, the story continues inspiring new interpretations, some of them yet to come. This version has set a high bar for modern takes. It is the only movie actually made in Italy, the tale’s country of origin, Garrone’s enthralling version taps into the creepy, kinky nature of the material, resulting in a gothic fantasy that embodies the original’s appeal. The way the town's people accept that the fairly elderly Geppetto, who is without wife or family, would suddenly have a child, one that looks quite stiff and wooden, and be widely accepted as both true and realistic is the part you have to belive. That Pinnocchio has the mobility of his young boy body, but the intellect of a newborn baby is the part that makes sense, and despite what the puppet brings down on himself, we are still hoping against hope that he makes it, which givers the creepy tale it's charm.