Avere Vent'anni (3 Stars)

I noticed today that Amazon Prime includes a film starring Gloria Guida, "Avere Vent'anni", known in English as "To be twenty". It was made in 1978 at the peak of her career.

Unfortunately, the version that's included on Amazon Prime is heavily cut. The original version is 94 minutes long, but the version I watched today is only 73 minutes. From what I've read it's not a matter of censorship. The original film is a mixture of comedy and serious social commentary. The shortened version removes most of the serious scenes to make it funnier.

The film is about two young girls, 20 years old, according to the title, who are hitch-hiking to Rome. They have no money, so they decide to live in a religious commune. The guru teaches his disciples to meditate and distance themselves from the pleasures of the flesh. This is frustrating for the two girls, because the men in the commune resist their sexual advances.

They do get sex, but not the way they expected it. The guru pimps them out as prostitutes to make money to support the commune.

Some reviewers call this a cult film and say that it's essential to watch the uncut version to appreciate it as a political drama. I accept that the uncut version must be better, but I have no intention to spend any money on it. If Amazon Prime adds the uncut version I'll watch it, otherwise I'll forget about it. The version I watched today is a dull erotic comedy, and I'm not interested in seeing what was cut.