7 Women and a Murder review: Is the new Netflix murder-mystery movie worth the watch?

7 Women and a Murder is an Italian murder-mystery satire movie that premiered on Netflix on Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Directed by Alessandro Genovesi, the film has taken its inspiration from a 2002 French film directed by François Ozon, titled 8 Women.

The brief synopsis for 7 Women and a Murder, as released by IMDb, reads:

"7 women find themselves dealing with a mystery killing. Who's the killer and what are the motives of the murder?"

Ever since 7 Women and a Murder was released on Netflix, it has already begun to get a lot of attention from viewers for its quite dramatic and refreshingly unique storytelling, complete with upbeat direction and promising acting performances by the lead ensemble cast, all culminating in a shocking, unforeseen ending.

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7 Women and a Murder on Netflix scores points for story and direction, but the acting takes the cake

An intriguing storyline with a twist at the end

The Italian murder mystery revolves around seven women dealing with the murder of the patriarch of the house, Marcello. Over the course of the movie, the secrets of all seven women are unveiled one by one, leading them all to suspect each other for the murder, only to realize at the end that Marcello was not murdered.

Writers Alessandro Genovesi and Lisa Nur Sultan have done a good job in keeping the movie quite amusing while justifying its satirical theme. For a murder-mystery, the movie is quite easy to follow. The writing in 7 Women and a Murder maintains its simplicity, but manages to achieve the dramatic effect that is expected from a satire.

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The refreshing, quick-paced direction made it quite entertaining

Unlike most murder-mysteries, this movie has quite a fast pace. The switches between the scenes are quick, giving the movie an up-beat tone and fast pace, which successfully keeps up with the overall satirical structure and writing.

Director Alessandro Genovesi has done an impressive job in capturing and directing the movie in such a way that it provides the audience with a theatrical watching experience.

Especially scenes such as the one where Rachele finds out that her stocks have been stolen, or the one where Margherita and Veronica find out that they have been seeing the same man, or the one where Caterina reveals the truth about Marcello's murder, are all well-directed and entertaining to witness.

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Over-the-top acting performances befitting a dramatic satire

The lead cast members for 7 Women and a Murder include Margherita Buy as Margherita, Sabrina Impacciatore as Agostina, Diana Del Bufalo as Susanna, Benedetta Porcaroli as Caterina, Luisa Ranieri as Maria, Micaela Ramazzotti as Veronica, and Ornella Vanoni as Rachele.

The ensemble cast of seven actresses have done an amazing job in breathing life to their unique characters. Margherita Buy in the role of Margherita and Micaela Ramazzotti as her character Veronica deserves special mention in this regard for their measured yet engaging performance.

The cast's over-the-top screen presence and performances have helped the movie maintain its satirical theme.

Overall, it is safe to say that if viewers are looking for a refreshing take on murder mysteries, they can definitely give 7 Women and a Murder a go.

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Don't forget to watch 7 Women and a Murder, currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.