Little Lips
A shell-shocked writer seeks solace in a country retreat, where an unsettling fixation on a pubescent girl becomes his fragile emotional anchor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- disturbing
- intimate
- serious film night
- arthouse viewing
What critics said
Aggregate audience reception is mixed, with a 5.3/10 IMDb rating indicating limited broad enthusiasm.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul recuperates from war trauma at a country inn and estate, where the secluded setting intensifies his attachment to Eva.
Paul becomes preoccupied with Eva's emerging sexuality, while voyeurism is also identified among the film's keywords.
Paul returns from World War I with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation.
The central attachment joins an adult war veteran with the innkeeper's twelve-year-old niece, creating the film's fundamental moral tension.
Films like Little Lips, and why
Lolita
shared taboo adult-minor desire, psychological drama, and disturbing emotional entanglement
The Night Porter
shared postwar trauma, eroticized power imbalance, and morally unsettling intimacy
Pretty Baby
shared coming of age, adult sexual gaze, and provocative period drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Mimmo Cattarinich
- Release Date
- 1978-02-08
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 4.9 / 10 (35)
Cast
- Pierre Clémenti
- Katya Berger
- Ugo Bologna
- Bárbara Rey
- Michele Soavi
- Maria Monti
- Raf Baldassarre
- Tom Felleghy
- Cesare Di Vito
- Walter Colombaioni
Common questions
- What is Little Lips about?
- A shell-shocked writer seeks solace in a country retreat, where an unsettling fixation on a pubescent girl becomes his fragile emotional anchor.
- What is Little Lips like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Little Lips as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Little Lips violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Little Lips.
- What did critics think of Little Lips?
- Aggregate audience reception is mixed, with a 5.3/10 IMDb rating indicating limited broad enthusiasm.
- Which films are like Little Lips?
- Films with a similar feel include Lolita, The Night Porter, and Pretty Baby.
- How long is Little Lips?
- Little Lips runs 86 minutes.
