My review was written in May 1991 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.
An old-fashioned period drama, "Wicked" is a well-acted and well-mounted miniature, posing a woman's problems in a turn-of-the-century mental hospital.
Opening scene's lush setting and attractive costumes suggests an attempt to enter "A Room with a View" territory; and Julian Sands from that 1985 hit toplines as a dedicated yon psychologist. Film jumps ahead seven years to heroine Giuliana De Sio's breakdown following the death of her daughter. She checks into a Swiss clinic run by old-fashioned Erland Josephson, who assigns Sands to her case. The eager young doctor is intent on trying out his new Freudian methods but runs into conflict with Josephson.
Sands even travels to Italy to interview relatives and friends in order to get to the bottom of De Sio's traumas. He helps her adjust, in a simply staged bittersweet finale. Film surprisingly does not develop a romance between Sands and De Sio.
With attractive lensing by Daniele Nannuzzi and a warm score by Armando Trovajoli, director Carlo Lizzani relies on a traditional approach to storytelling. Though the mature beauty of De Sio is displayed in tasteful nude scenes, film eschews the gross effects of modern cinema.
De Sio, whose English dialog is well-synched, does an excellent job of physical acting to suggest her unbalanced condition in subtle ways. Sands is a solid foil while comic relief is ably provided by De Sio's loyal servant Francesca Ventura.
All tech credits are above average in a pleasant but slight feature.
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