Pietà

Cast against the dark, sinful city of Venice glows the mesmerizing Ospedale della Pietà, is an orphanage that takes in girls abandoned, often from their families because of physical disfiguration, illegitimate pregnancy, or unknown origin, and trains them in music. These girls, now figlie (“daughters”) of the Pietà, perform weekly to great acclaim, but only ever from behind a thick lattice, out of sight of their audience. The figlie are kept under strict lock and key by the religious officials who run the institution; the only freedom they find is in their talent. The figlie and their partners will learn what Editta, Giorgio’s grandmother, already knows: In a place like this, it takes a twisted kind of bravery to do what you must to survive.

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