ON A WING AND A PRAYER

As can happen in some cases, the translation of the title in the Italian language betrays the focus of the film, which, on the other hand, is much clearer in the original language: “Ona Wing and a Prayer,” which, literally translated, would sound something like “On a Wing and a Prayer.”

What a prayer is is clear to everyone: the point is that a wing is also referred to here. Ergo, there is something that stands on a wing and thanks to a prayer… and with that, believe me, I’m not doing spoilers, but that we’re dealing with flight, that we are (in fact, you can tell even from the title).

There is no doubt that the film starts off somewhat slow and, I will tell you, for the first 10, maybe 15 minutes, the temptation to pull away was there. Probably, however, it is just a way of conveying to the viewer all that normalcy that can appear, in some cases, as extremely boring.

Instead, the hook comes abruptly and keeps you attached to the screen until the end: be careful not to miss the end credits, where, with original images, you see and hear the protagonists of what is a true, dramatic story with an ending that we obviously avoid reporting here for spoiler reasons.

It is interesting, in the story, to see how in some cases Providence (I read into it, in this case, an extraordinary intervention of this exalted stranger whom some prefer to call luck) comes into play and brings together destinies that are quite distant from each other and is able, even, to intersect their stories. In that sense, in the film, we see how the one who is the main help in resolving the dramatic situation is precisely someone who has suffered the exact same drama; he is, in fact, faced with a choice: to disregard or to make sense of the evil he had suffered so that he can be of help to someone else by preventing him from the exact same disaster.

Undoubtedly, the film, with the final scenes accompanied by the final honeyed soundtrack(Hallelujah played by Lucy Thomas) pales the typical American triumphalist tones, but we concede them to a film that, all in all, is also capable of wringing a few tears from the most predisposed hearts.

It is also interesting that the whole thing takes place on Easter Day, the image and remembrance of a Resurrection that is not only something physical, carnal, but also spiritual, from the darkness of a faith that seemed lost and that, instead, is able to give meaning even to the death of his brother: touching, in fact, is the scene in which his brother is present on the plane and points out to him, how, on that occasion “Thank God you have grown up.”

All in all, a film that we recommend, without undue pretension, that conveys beautiful and unassuming feelings for those who have a desire to see something that tells facts of life, certainly extraordinary, but undoubtedly real.