They say imitation is the highest form of flattery – and it would appear that Alessandro Genovesi certainly wanted to honour François Ozon in the form of 7 Women and a Murder (Italian: 7 donne e un mistero), which is an almost shot-for-shot remake of Ozon’s iconic 8 Women, which is in the upper echelons of cinematic musicals, remaining as remarkable today as it did two decades ago. Seemingly to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of one of the most influential European comedies, Genovesi  (who is a gifted director in his own right, even if he doesn’t receive as much acclaim as he perhaps deserves for his very reliable comedies) assembles a cast of some terrific actors, moving the story from pastoral France to the Italian countryside, and make a few small changes in his reimagining of the classic story to accomodate a couple of new ideas that don’t entirely change the structure of the film or its narrative, but rather make it slightly more unique, even if only in very small, seemingly insignificant ways that seem to aid mainly in the process of making the film, rather than being done for the sake of the viewer, who will undoubtedly think back on 8 Women (granted they had seen it, which seems almost essential in understanding many of the plot points in this film) and compare it to this lovely but otherwise inconsequential remake that was produced clearly to just offer viewers a slightly updated version of a familiar story, keeping the cheerful dark comedy, but leaving behind some of the more artistically resonant aspects that were previously defining of Ozon’s film. 7 Women and a Murder is a film that offers us a good time, rather than doing anything we haven’t seen many times before – and while it is quite conventional, and doesn’t deviate from the previous film’s structure in creative ways, it still proves to be as fun as a film like this can possibly be, which is worth something in itself.

There is something very peculiar about 7 Women and a Murder, which promotes itself as an adaptation and reimagining of the Ozon film, but seems to actively be retelling the story in precisely the same way, only getting rid of one of the characters, and taking out the musical numbers, which makes this a very curt, brisk 84-minute chamber comedy that is definitely very charming, but makes us wonder about how essential it was to effectively recreate the original film in its near-entirety, keeping the same plot points and developments, and even having characters wear almost the exact same costumes, leading us to wonder whether the director was actually intended to do a near-identical remake, or if he simply was afraid to deviate too far from the original, in fears that it would make for a less-than-ideal adaptation. The result is quite strange – this film holds clear reverence for the original film, but it also feels like it is too adherent to the previous film, it struggles to establish its own voice, which is what any good adaptation or remake should intend to do, even if only in minor ways. It does bring up an interesting conversation around the process of adapting a previous work – 8 Women is neither archaic nor outdated enough to have demanded a remake, and outside of a few playful hypothetical scenarios in which we cast our own ideal versions, it never seemed to actually warrant any serious conversation for any kind of remake, let alone one that almost entirely mirrors the original one. It isn’t quite as shameless as Gus Van Sant’s version of Psycho (having at least made a few changes to prevent it from being a complete facsimile of the original), but it does make us ponder the reasons for having made the film in the first place, when the French version is not only still exceptional, but has maintained its reputation, constantly being revisited by both existing fans and new viewers, making the existence of 7 Women and a Murder almost redundant, which is an objective fact rather than a criticism.

Perhaps the impetus Genovesi used for making 7 Women and a Murder was simply to have the opportunity to work with a septet of some of the most talented actresses in contemporary Italian cinema, which is about as good a reason as any. Much like Ozon’s film, this version utilizes a range of different performers, varying in age and stature in the industry, each one being committed to the process of bringing this film to life. Margherita Buy is as magnetic as ever, holding court in the role previously played by the beguiling Catherine Deneuve, while Sabrina Impacciatore (who has been having an enormously good year, her work on the second season of The White Lotus bringing her global attention) takes the role so memorably played by Isabelle Huppert, the story’s most interesting character by virtue of the very clear physical and emotional transformation she has, which is oddly underplayed here, or at least has a less substantial impact. Younger actors Diana Del Bufalo and Benedetta Porcaroli prove their mettle to stand alongside some actors of intimidating stature as the young daughter, Porcaroli in particular turning in the film’s most memorable performance, perhaps the only one that improves on the original in terms of characterization. Rounding out the cast are Luisa Ranieri and Micaela Ramazzotti, who are as reliable as ever, and the legendary Ornella Vanoni, who takes the reigns from Danielle Darrieux, who gave possibly her last truly astonishing performance in the Ozon film. It is well known that comparing a remake with its original rarely yields positive critiques unless it is a complete reimagining, but considering how close 7 Women and a Murder veers towards the previous film, and how much these actors are spending a considerable amount of time channelling their predecessors, it seems warranted – at it is not nearly as negative as it may appear, since it is a curious and entertaining experience to look at how these seven women interpret these characters, each one doing something slightly different that make the roles their own.

The decision to excise the musical numbers from the film was perhaps the only choice that seemed to negatively impact the film – whether it is because they failed to secure music rights to Italian songs that could have mirrored the original’s use of different genres of French music, or simply because Genovesi didn’t want the added pressure that comes with making a musical (creating the implication that this film was thrown together hastily, since it is essentially nothing more than a chamber drama that takes place in a single location, and could effectively be filmed in only a few days) remains to be seen, but it does impact the film in ways that were perhaps not intentional. However, Genovesi does at least retain the splendour of the original film in the design – the film was made in a gorgeous manor, and the set design is absolutely impeccable, being another area in which this film does add onto the original rather than taking away from it (although it isn’t quite as expansive in exploring this enormous house as Ozon’s film, which created the illusion of the set itself becoming a character), which makes it at least visually appealing, which is a considerably important aspect on which the film’s success hinges. Its a visually striking film, and it complements the story in creative ways, never being particularly different, but at least being arresting to look at, which is important, considering most of what makes this story (both the original film and other similarly lavish comedies) is a sense of extravagance – it’s a film taking place outside of any discernible period, and its timeless qualities are reflected in the visual landscape, which Genovesi very effectively conveys throughout the film, at least managing to stand toe-to-toe with the Ozon film in its gorgeous approach to design.

Known for making bold, bright and colourful comedies that pay as much tribute to Italian culture as it does to the art of cinema in itself, Genovesi was a terrific choice to make this film, especially since it was never intended to be some defining work that overtakes the original. Instead, it is a charming and endearing seasonal comedy that will appeal to all of those who have a penchant for slightly off-the-wall humour, of which this film has an almost overabundance. It undeniably pales in comparison to 8 Women, but 7 Women and a Murder is still very charming and has its place, being an entertaining and very funny comedy that delivers exactly what it promises. It may lack the emotional depth and pure spectacle of the original film (as well as the metafictional aspects that were not essential to the story, but at least drove it home in an interesting and unforgettable way), but it is just as theatrical and bold, being a well-constructed murder mystery that is as hilarious as it is visually striking – the colours are vibrant, and the performances bring the film to life, which is certainly exactly what we’d expect from a film like this. At a mere 84 minutes, this film is quite short (one has to imagine the roughly three-quarters of an hour difference between the two films is due to Genovesi removing the musical numbers), but this also means that it never overstays its welcome, delivering a solid and funny story and then moving along, which is exactly what good seasonal viewing should do. 7 Women and a Murder is a wildly entertaining and very engrossing film with some terrific aspects, and while it never comes close to the subversive brilliance of 8 Women, it is at least a worthwhile riff on that film, being as wickedly funny and secretly perverse as the original, providing us with the exact kind of subversive experience we’d expect from this material.